Between Friends And Lovers
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: As Kai and Victoria struggle, Helene's work and desire for a child leads her and Adrian to divorce, and Malachai schemes to see baby Sarah again, even though the altercation between him and Matthew has made him persona non grata at Christine and Matthew's house. Crossover with Getting To Know You Again and A Chance For Happily Ever After.
1. A Failed Courtship

**Disclaimer: Only plots and original characters belong to me.**

 **Also this is the first story in a series of fictions about Kai Parker, but is also a sequel to my story "In The Devil's Lair," which tells the beginning of Kai and Victoria's relationship after they officially get together. And my fiction "Lessons on Love" tells the very beginning of their tale, when they meet, but before they seriously fall in love.  
**

Victoria looked down at her phone as it rang, sighing when she saw who it was, letting it ring several more times before she answered it.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Kai? When a person doesn't answer for that long, some people would take it as a hint!"

"Well, I didn't cause I know all you're doing is trying to ignore me," Kai told her. "And I don't do well with being ignored. You know that!"

"Fine, whatever," Victoria scoffed. "What is it you want? Should I bring the twins over to Adrian and Helene's again? You _are_ still taking advantage of their hospitality, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "Just like I'm sure that your grandparents like having _you_ around."

"Oh, they really do," Victoria told him. "Grandpa in particular is very happy that I've stepped away from you."

"So what now, then?" Kai asked. "Are you going to let him pick your next boyfriend, or what?"

"Who says I want a new boyfriend?" Victoria asked. "After you, I might just swear off men for a while. That's always an option."

"Come now, Vicky," Kai told her. "Do you really think you'll be able to do that? Don't you need someone to keep your bed warm at night?"

"No," Victoria told him confidently. "I've managed well so far. And even if I did need someone, that's none of your damn business."

"Oh, I think it is," Kai told her. "I'll be waiting for you when you decide you want to come back. Even if it's just for the night, that's okay."

"You don't have any pride, do you?" She asked. "None whatsoever."

"Well, no one could have as much as you, Miss Princess of Original Descent," Kai shot back. "No one."

"And what was your reason for pointing that out?" Victoria questioned. "Was it supposed to offend me?"

"No," Kai replied. "I don't know what that was. So can I expect you tonight?"

"Expect me where?" Victoria wanted to know. "Even if I _were_ desperate enough to come to you for booty calls, which I'm not, where would we do it? Not at Adrian and Helene's, surely."

"Why not?" Kai asked. "It's not like they're prudish or anything. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Or would you rather stop off at a skeevy motel for the night? I didn't think that was your style, but if that's what you want, I'm up for it."

"No," Victoria told him. "That's _not_ what I want, Malachai. I _want_ you to realize why it was that I left you in the first place and try not to behave that way again."

"That might not happen, Vicky," he told her. "You gotta take me as I am. You could do it before. What's changed now."

"I should think it would be obvious," Victoria told him firmly. "Now we have kids."

"And you think I would hurt them?" Kai asked. "That's it, right?"

"Well, no, I guess not," Victoria sighed. "Just…just stop making me try and give you reasons and leave me alone. When I'm tired of being alone, I'll let you know, okay? This is _my_ problem, so I get to decide when it's over, not you."

"Oh, all right," Kai sighed. "When are you bringing the twins over next?"

"That depends," Victoria told him. "Are you going to be around tomorrow?"

"I should be," Kai replied. "Come over around one in the afternoon?"

"Sure," Victoria replied. "See you then."

Although he'd gotten some of what he wanted, Kai growled in frustration when the call ended and threw his phone down on the floor.

"Wow, what the hell happened to you?" Adrian asked, his eyes wide as he came in to get something out of the refrigerator. "Were you just talking to Victoria again? Let me guess: she still hasn't budged."

"Not anymore," Kai told her. "I mean, I get to see the twins, but it's nothing more than that."

"I'm sorry," Adrian told him.

"Thanks," Kai replied and reached into the fridge for another beer. "I'll wear her down eventually, though. I just know it."

"Well, you know I wish you the best of luck with that," Adrian told him.

"Speaking of things that need good luck behind them, how are you handling Helene's new job?" Kai asked. "Are you going to try and talk her out of it?"

"No," Adrian shook his head. "Only an idiot would do that. I've been totally encouraging so far. This is a good thing."

"Wow," Kai nodded. "I honestly had no idea your reaction would be so calm."

"Well, think about it," Adrian said. "If she's busy working for her mom, that'll take up the time she would have used to think about a certain _other_ thing that I'm just not prepared to deal with yet."

"You mean her wanting to have another kid?" Kai asked. As Adrian nodded, he continued, "Speaking of, do you mind if Victoria brings the twins over to visit tomorrow?"

"Sure," Adrian nodded. "I'm really getting used to them. If Helene just gives me some time with them, then by the time she tells me she's pregnant (cause based on past experience, if she wants to have a kid, she'll have a kid, regardless of if I'm completely up for it or not) I'll at least be mentally prepared for said kid."

"That sounds like a smart idea," Kai remarked.

"Thanks," Adrian told him. "Good luck with Victoria."

"I'll need it," Kai told him. "You're such a good friend."

* * *

By the time Victoria came to drop the twins off, Helene had already headed to work with her mother, so Victoria was met with just Kai and Adrian showing up at the door.

"Okay, here they are," she said, giving Finn to Kai and Molly to Adrian. "Kai, your uncle said he would come and pick them up, so when you don't see me again, don't be alarmed, all right?"

"You mean, you're not staying?" Kai asked in amazement. "I thought you would be for sure, since you're clearly so worried about my suitability as a parent."

"Well, I _was_ ," Victoria admitted, pushing her dark hair out of her eyes and looking to the side. "Then I realized that wasn't fair to you and now I'm trying to practice trust."

"Oh," Kai nodded. "Well…good!"

Victoria turned to go then and just as she reached the door, Adrian purposely spilled the drink he'd been drinking all over Kai's shirt. "You want me to go and wash that for you?" He asked pointedly. "I'll take it right now. Just take it off and give it to me."

Victoria kept her back to them for a few seconds and then turned around. "That was _real_ subtle," she told Adrian as she gazed at her shirtless husband while Finn and Molly both watched them curiously from their seats on the floor. "It was a nice try, I'll give you that."

"I don't think you could only call it a try," Adrian told her. "You turned around and looked, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I'm only humoring you," Victoria replied. "Better luck next time, boys." She left then, a giggle on her lips as Kai stared at her tight blue jeans walking away.

"You can't say we didn't try," Adrian told him apologetically. "I honestly thought it would work."

"I know you did," Kai told him and picked up his daughter. "And it was a good try, believe me."

They then went to amuse the twins who only showed signs of power a time or two and Kai took care of it so quickly that Adrian didn't even have time to flinch. In fact, he hardly even knew it happened.

"Good for you," Kai told him afterward. "Molly almost turned completely invisible and you didn't even bat an eye."

"Did she?" Adrian asked in amazement. "I didn't even notice. Maybe through some miracle, I'm learning to tune it out."

"Could be," Kai replied. "That would be nice for you, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah," Adrian nodded, pushing back his blond hair. "Yeah, it would."

* * *

"Victoria told you I was coming to pick up the kids, right?" Malachai asked Kai when he showed up on Adrian and Helene's doorstep.

"Yeah, she did!" Kai assured his uncle. "Come on in! Honestly, I was surprised when she mentioned it, but I really think it was because it's the only way she can keep up this fuss she's making about not wanting to be around me and teaching me a lesson."

"You really think so?" Malachai said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I do," Kai said resolutely. "How's Renee?"

"She's good," Malachai replied. "We've been trying to get a hold of her daughter all day cause I told her about Sarah and now Renee wants to meet her. But after the shooting, it seems I'm still _persona non grata_ at that house."

"It's not a big problem," Kai told him. "Just because you probably won't see Sarah at Christine's doesn't mean you can't see her somewhere else. Victoria and Christine are good friends and Christine brings Sarah to play with Molly and Finny sometimes. Maybe you could see her then."

"Would Victoria let you know when the play dates are since you and she aren't talking now?" Malachai asked.

"Victoria isn't the only one who can arrange a play date," Kai told him. "I'll set one up soon and then you and Renee can finally meet Sarah. Sound good?"

"Sure," Malachai nodded. "Can't wait."


	2. Taking A Hard Line

"Victoria," Kai said next time he called her. "Would you be a darling and do me a favor?"

"It depends," Victoria replied. "What is it?"

"I want you to give me Christine's phone number so I can arrange a play date with the twins and Sarah next time I have them," Kai told her. "Don't you think that would be fun?"

"That depends," Victoria said. "Are you having this play date just so your uncle can see Sarah?"

"What if I am?" Kai asked. "What's _wrong_ with him seeing Sarah? He _loves_ Sarah."

"Well that may be, but I think I need to respect her parents' wishes not to let Malachai anywhere near their daughter," Victoria replied. "Don't you get it?"

"What, just because Matthew is insecure, that means Malachai should never be able to see Sarah when he did nothing to deserve such a punishment?" Kai asked. "Matthew shot at him! Way to punish a victim, Victoria!"

"Don't you give me that, Malachai Parker!" Victoria told him. "While I'm well aware that Matthew was the one who shot your uncle, I can't deny there's a reason _why_ he did so: your uncle makes him anxious. Now, I'm sure that if you give them time, there will be a way to work something out so Malachai can have what he wants, but…we can't push it now, okay?"

"Fine," Kai sighed. "Whatever. Uncle Malachai will be so depressed."

"Well, he's an adult," Victoria said firmly. "I'm sure he and Uncle Klaus will go out and get drunk or something and then Malachai won't know about it at all."

"Actually, Malachai hasn't seen Klaus in a while and I don't know why," Kai replied. "Now, I'm gonna ask one more time: No number?"

"No," Victoria shook her head. "No number. But, I _will_ let you take Molly or Finn, or both to see Malachai."

"You will?" Kai asked in surprise. "Even though they're at Renee's right now?"

"Yes," Victoria sighed. "I know you won't let anything happen to them."

"Of course I won't," Kai assured her. "You can bring them over whenever you want. Adrian and Helene have gone out with Alistair and Astrid, so I'm here by myself. If I made dinner…could we eat as a family?"

"All right," Victoria told him. "Why not?"

"Great!" Kai told her. "You need me to come over first and help you get the twins into the car and stuff?"

"Thanks, but I can handle it," Victoria told him. "See you in the little bit."

* * *

Kai opened the door so quickly in response to Victoria's knock that she had to wonder if he'd been waiting on the other side of the door.

"Hi!" He said, smiling brightly and taking Finn's carrier out of Victoria's hand and asking her to follow him into the kitchen.

Victoria followed him obligingly and sniffed. "You've gotten dinner done already?" She asked.

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "Did you think I would make you wait?"

"Well, no," Victoria replied, her dark eyes bright as she gave him a little smile. "I don't know why I'm surprised, but I just am. I'm impressed."

"Impressed enough to take me back?" Kai asked.

"Are you nagging?" Victoria asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Kai told her quickly. "But come on! I'm cooking for you!" He paused. "See? _Now_ I'm nagging."

She rolled her eyes and then gasped as they reached the dining room. The long, wide wood table was covered with lots of different foods: bowls of pasta, a turkey, a bowl of salad, a tureen of soup, pancakes, hamburgers, baked potatoes…it made Victoria full just looking at it.

"Couldn't really decide what to eat?" She asked Kai dryly as she turned away from the table.

"I knew it was too much," he said as he helped her put the twins in their high chairs. "But I just couldn't help myself. I wanted to impress you."

"Well, I _am_ impressed, she assured him as he pulled out a chair for her and asked her if she wanted wine.

"I'll have a little," Victoria agreed. "And please don't tell me that you have as much planned for dessert as you do for dinner. I won't have room!"

By the time Adrian and Helene returned from Alistair and Astrid's, Kai and Victoria were eating dessert.

"Well, this is a surprise," Adrian said as he sat down at the table and reached for some pie even though he hadn't been invited. "Nice to see you, Victoria."

"Nice to see you too, Adrian," Victoria told him. "How has your evening been?"

"Great!" Adrian replied. "We had a very good night at Alistair and Astrid's. James and Lenora were there too, and they're always a good time."

Victoria then turned her head back to her husband just in time to watch him feed Molly some chocolate pudding. She opened her mouth to protest, but then quickly shut it when she saw the look of joy in her little girl's eyes.

"See, she likes it!" Kai told her.

"You better be careful about all the food you're giving her," Victoria told him.

"Why, because it's _bad_ for her?" Kai wanted to know.

"No," Victoria shook her head. "Because she'll know what foods are good and bad and you'll never have a single meal to yourself ever again."

"You have a good point," Kai remarked. As Molly sat with her mouth open, waiting for more pudding, Kai took the bowl and said to her firmly, "You're little. One spoonful is good enough for you now." He then gave a spoonful to Finn too, just to be fair, while (of course) Molly let out a terrible wail and used her magic to move the bowl out of her father's hand. She didn't have a spoon, so she just stuck her little hand in the bowl and smeared the pudding all over her face and in her hair.

"We can take Finn while you give Molly a bath," Adrian offered while Helene cheered silently behind his back.

"Thanks," Kai told him. "Sounds good to me." He then looked at Victoria. "Should I bring them home tomorrow night?"

"Or whatever," Victoria replied. "Keep them until they drive you nuts and then I'll take them back."

"All right," Kai said. "Thanks, Vicky."

Victoria headed to the door. "You're welcome, Malachai," she said, and headed back to Kol and Margot's.

* * *

"Are you _sure_ she won't give you the number?" Malachai asked Kai when he brought the twins to visit him at Renee's the next day. Although he was happy to see Molly especially, he was still really concerned about seeing Sarah.

"Yes, I'm sure," Kai told him. "Sorry. I tried my hardest. I really can't afford to alienate her so much now, you know? We made so much progress last night."

"That's okay," Malachai told him. "I had a plan B in mind for if you couldn't do it. Thanks for trying."

"No problem," Kai replied.

Malachai momentarily excused himself, promising he would be back soon, and got in his car to drive down to the Council building where he ran into Helene. "You're not Astrid!" He said in surprise. "I need to talk to Astrid about a private matter."

"All right," Helene nodded. "What's your name? She's out at the moment, but I'll try and help you. I'm her daughter Helene, by the way."

"Hello," Malachai replied. "Malachai McCullough."

"Oh, the guy who put his sperm in the human bank," Helene nodded. "I remember you. What's up?"

"I want to know if there's any way I can have access to the daughter I fathered. I found her and she lives with people who have no magic, and I just…I feel it's my duty to make sure she has someone in her life with magic to look after her."

"Well, have you talked to the family?" Helene asked. "Maybe if you talked to them, they'd let you see her."

"I've tried, but…the father is a bit unstable and won't let me in the house," Malachai said. "I figured if I had some sort of official document, they'd have to let me in. Can you help me?"

"All right," Helene replied. "When Mom gets back, we'll see what we can do. I'm sure we'll be able to help you out, though."

When Astrid returned, Helene explained what happened and then Astrid said to Malachai, "I know you've tried talking to them, but let's try it again. Maybe it'll go better if Helene and I go with you. If that doesn't go well, and we see there's no actual reason to deny your claim, we'll make papers up for you."

* * *

" _Him!"_ Christine cried when she came home with Sarah one day and found Helene and Astrid sitting in her living room on either side of Malachai (who'd called Kai to tell him it would take him longer to get home than expected) after getting in using the key under the mat. "What's _he_ doing here? Astrid, when you told me that you needed to talk to me, you didn't say that _he_ would come with you."

"I know but I think we need to talk about him," Astrid told her. "Sit down, please."

"All right," Christine sighed and went to put Sarah in her room, even though the baby was reaching for Malachai over her shoulder.

When she came back, Christine sat in a chair opposite them and said, "Okay, what's the problem?"

"Mr. McCullough says he's worried about the environment your daughter is living in here, and that your husband is unstable. Is there merit to those claims?" Astrid wanted to know.

"Keep in mind that her husband shot at me!" Malachai said. "Who knows how many guns he has around here?"

"He keeps them locked up," Christine told her. "He'd never let Sarah be hurt."

"Not intentionally, I'm sure," Malachai told her. "But accidents happen."

"You're still not getting her," Christine told him. "I don't care if you have magic. You're shacking up with my mother and she's a terrible influence. Not to mention you caused my husband to have a breakdown. You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Malachai sighed and turned to Astrid. "It doesn't seem like she's going to budge, and we've tried to be reasonable. What do we do now?"

"You leave us alone and let _us_ choose when or if you're going to visit!" Christine shouted. "You don't do that and we'll get a lawyer!"

"I need to ask you a question," Astrid said to Christine. "How are you compensating for the fact that neither you nor your husband have magical powers and your daughter does?"

"My friend Eva and her husband are living with us," Christine explained. "They help with that. I'll even call her here and she'll tell you about it!"

"No, there's no need," Astrid said quickly and then she sighed. "Do you honestly think that can be a permanent solution? Wouldn't it just be easier if you could have someone like Malachai help you?"

"No!" Christine said again. "No, it _wouldn't_ be easier! I want him out of my house _now_!" She felt anger rise up in herself and tried to keep calm so Astrid wouldn't think that Sarah was being raised by _two_ lunatics with bad tempers. She cleared her throat and sat down, wiping off her sweaty hands on her jeans. "What I mean to say is that if he wants to have time with Sarah, he'll have to talk to my lawyer about it. That's my final answer."

"I think you're making a mistake," Malachai told her as he rose and Astrid rose with him, her face full of worry. "But if that's how you wanna do it, we'll see you in court."


	3. A Little Mixed Up

The impromptu dinner with Kai had reminded Victoria how nice it was to go out to dinner with someone and have conversation, although she had to admit that it would be more delightful if she could do it at least once (or a few times) without the twins, or a man who didn't make her insane like her husband did.

"So he's finally driven you crazy, huh?" Eva said. They were over at Victoria's house while Sean helped Christine with Sarah. "I knew it was coming. I knew that even as dark as you are, he'd drive you over the edge eventually. He's better for someone like me. If I wasn't with Sean, I mean."

"No, it's not that," Victoria shook her head. "I just…I just want to try something a little different for a change, you know? I didn't exactly go to live with Kai by choice."

"No, I understand," Eva replied. "You wanna see what it's like to date. I've always wondered about that myself."

"Are you saying that you'd cheat on Sean?" Victoria asked in surprise?

"No," Eva shook her head. "I'm perfectly happy where I am. I just find the idea of needing to run through so many people before you find the right person to be so odd."

"Well, I suppose it would be to someone who's known who they wanted to be with since she was a toddler," Victoria told her.

"Yeah," Eva shrugged. "I was just lucky, I guess. However…"

"However what?" Victoria wanted to know.

"Never mind," Eva shrugged. "I probably shouldn't even be talking about it with you."

"Go ahead," Victoria urged. "You can tell me anything. You know that."

"I know I can," Eva sighed. "But I don't know if I'm comfortable talking about this, cause it's about Kai and I don't want you to be mad at me."

"Just go ahead and say it," Victoria told her. "I won't be mad. I promise."

Eva blushed a deep red but hurried on anyway. It seemed like she was about to say something she'd been holding in for a while. "It's just that, on occasion (not all the time, mind you, only sometimes), on occasion, when Sean and I are together, I pretend…I pretend that it's Kai and me, all right?" She paused as Victoria's jaw dropped a little. "What? You told me to say it."

"Oh, I know," Victoria said quickly, shutting her mouth and shaking her head. "It shouldn't be a surprise to me. From the first time we saw him I knew that he would intrigue you. I just…it's hard to believe that you think about Kai that way, as devoted as you are to Sean."

"It shocks me sometimes too," Eva nodded. "But I don't think you need to worry. Compared to you, Kai would never notice me."

Victoria nodded and sighed. "Yeah, you're right," she said. "No offense or anything. You said Kai and Sean are talking together?"

Eva nodded.

"Well, knowing my husband as I do, I bet Kai's telling Sean all about how the dinner we had the other night is the first step toward him winning me back. I just know it," Victoria told her.

"You think?" Eva asked.

"No, I _know_ ," Victoria told her. "And the only way that might change is if I make myself unavailable to him. Would you help me prepare for a night of man-hunting on Friday?"

"Sure," Eva replied. "Why not? I think that would be good for you."

* * *

"I really think I have her this time, Sean," Kai told his cousin as they watched TV and he held Finn and Sarah in his lap. Molly had had a bad morning and now was just wanting to be alone to play with the toys in the play pen. "I wowed her with that dinner, and at any moment, she's gonna come running back."

"Not to doubt you, but what you gave her wasn't really romantic," Sean pointed out. "The twins were there. How could it have been?"

"Well, it was just an impromptu thing this first time," Kai said quickly. "I could try for something a bit more intimate if she gave me another chance."

"The question is whether she will or not," Sean replied. "Neediness and burning whole neighborhoods down are not exactly endearing things."

"Oh, that's not something that would happen _all_ the time!" Kai said irritably. "I just did it once! I was mad!"

"Once, _right_ ," Sean told him dismissively. "And they sent you to jail all those times just for the fun of it. Is that the story you're going with?"

"Yes," Kai said firmly. "It is."

"And just how is it that you're planning to get Victoria to give you another chance?" Sean asked. "Cause you know she won't just choose to see you."

"That's why I'm glad we have two adorable little children that need to be brought back to their mother," Kai remarked. "She can't turn me away if I want to see her for that."

"Using your children as an excuse to get close to your wife who wants to stay away from you at the moment," Sean rolled his eyes. "You have no shame, do you?"

"Nope," Kai smiled. "Never have, never will."

A few seconds later, Christine came back from a meeting between her and Matthew's lawyers and Malachai's lawyers. They were desperately trying to cut a deal, but so far, neither side was willing to budge. "Hey," she said. "Sorry for leaving you alone like this."

"That's okay," Sean replied. "How much trouble is our uncle causing you?"

"See, that's the hard part," Christine said after sitting down and taking Sarah back. "If it were just up to me, I would be perfectly happy to let him have time with Sarah for practical reasons. They get along well, and he's right: keeping you and Eva here to help with their magic stuff just isn't a practical solution when we have a ready and willing warlock right in our reach. But he just makes Matthew so mad that it just…it's just dangerous to let your uncle have what he wants. I mean, Selina stopped him from getting shot last time, but if Matthew has another upset, he might not be so lucky."

Kai and Sean looked at one another and smiled. "If you're worried about our uncle, you don't have to be," Sean told Christine. "It takes much more than a crazy man with a gun to scare him."

"What about werewolves?" Christine asked. "Do they scare him?"

"No," Sean shook his head. "So if you're planning on turning because of that, you're out of luck."

"Don't get me wrong," Christine said quickly and shifted Sarah on her lap. "I don't really want to hurt your uncle. I really think he's a nice man. But this is just a hard situation for everyone."

"Yeah," Sean nodded and took her hand. "Yeah, I bet it is."

* * *

As they prepared to take Finn and a very feisty, squirmy Molly back to Victoria, she called.

"I'm going to come and pick up the twins now," she said firmly. "I'm sure Sean has other things to do with his time than babysit."

"Actually, you don't need to come to us," Kai told her. "We were literally just about to come bring them to you. Can't wait to see you again, Vicky."

"Oh, I just bet you can't. Consider yourself lucky that Grandpa Kol and Grandma Margot decided to go out for the day so they won't see you," Victoria replied, then the call ended and as they headed to the car, Sean said dryly, "Let me guess, she really wants you, right?"

"Yes," Kai nodded resolutely. "If you read between the lines, I think she does. And I still can't believe she's staying with her grandparents. Why can't she stay with the relatives who like me?"

When they arrived at the house, Sean knocked, pleased to see that it was Eva who answered the door. "We're here!" He announced. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Just a minute," She told him impatiently. "Kai, you wanna come in? I could get you a drink if you want." She then began laughing in an uncontrollable way, turning on her heel and running for the kitchen before Kai could give her an answer.

"How much drinking do you think she and Victoria did today?" Sean asked, looking at his cousin.

"I don't know," Kai replied. "But it wouldn't hurt to ask." Then, he called for Victoria. "We're here, Vicky!" He said. "And we come bearing babies!"

"Good," Victoria nodded, zipping in. "Is Molly still in a bad mood?"

"Yes," Kai nodded. "She spent a lot of the time playing by herself and not letting anyone come near her."

"She was even like that with _you_?" Victoria asked in amazement. "I thought for sure that being with the parent she likes would change her attitude. I guess not."

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "I guess not. Now, about that dinner we had the other night: would you mind doing that with me again? Say…Friday and without the twins?"

"You know, I can't," Victoria shook her head. "I'm going out that night."

"Oh, you and Eva are doing something?" Kai asked.

"No, I've decided to start dating," Victoria replied. "And Friday is gonna be my first attempt at it." She then gave him a look as he growled in the back of his throat and glared at her, trying to kill her with a look. "Don't you look at me like that!" She told him. "It won't be anything serious. Just a few one night stands or whatever."

"Why?" Kai wanted to know. "Why do that when you have _me_?"

"Because I think that us spending time apart will help you value me as a partner," Victoria replied. "Cause now, I don't think you do, and I know I deserve better than that."

"Then what am _I_ supposed to do?" Kai wanted to know. "If you're seeing other guys, I have the right to see other women!"

"Or you could act like a grown-up and help your poor uncle through that court case he's embroiled in with Sarah," Victoria suggested. "Don't you think that would be a good idea?"

"I don't know what you expect me to do about that," Kai replied. "You know that I'm not good at comforting people…or being nice."

"Well, I think in this case you should try," Victoria told him. "It would be good for you."

"Fine," Kai said. He gave Molly back to her, and Sean returned Finn. "We're gonna go now. Goodbye."

"Bye!" Victoria smiled and waved at their retreating backs. "Tell your uncle 'Hello' from me when you see him!"

* * *

"Thanks for helping me with this whole dating thing even though you think it's silly," Victoria told Eva on Friday night.

"Oh, it's not a problem," Eva said, and started playing with Victoria's dark hair. "What sort of look do you want? I assume nothing that will attract men at a bar?"

"Yeah, I mean, I want to go a little classier than that, even though I don't think I'm looking for anything long-term," Victoria told her. She then let out a gasp as Eva zapped pink in her hair, put her in a tight purple blouse that showed off her figure, and black leather pants.

"What the hell, Eva?" She asked and quickly turned around. "What sort of a man do you want me to attract looking like this?"

"Ones who are fun and not looking for a long-term commitment," Eva shrugged. "That's what you want, right?"

"Right!" Victoria nodded. "Sure! Are we done?"

"Yeah," Eva nodded. "I'd say you're ready to go." She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. "And here is a list of places where you'll have luck picking up available men. Good luck tonight."

"Thanks," Victoria replied. "But before I go, we have to stop by Adrian and Helene's so I can rub my new look in Kai's face!"

She ran off and Eva sighed. "Yeah, that's a good idea," she told herself. "I don't see that backfiring at all."

* * *

But she followed her friend to Adrian and Helene's anyway, and was very surprised when it was Malachai who answered Victoria's knock.

"Who's this new friend of yours, Eva?" He asked.

"You know her," Eva replied as they made their way inside. "This is Victoria."

"What?" Malachai asked, looking her over. "No, are you serious?"

"Yep," Victoria smiled. "What do you think? Do I look good?"

"Yes," Malachai nodded truthfully. "Different, for sure, but good nonetheless. You should show Kai."

"That's exactly what I came here for," Victoria replied. "Where is he?"

"In his room sulking because Adrian decided to go out with his dad and Stefan for the night instead of spending time with him," Helene told her as she struggled with getting the lid off a jar of maraschino cherries so she could put one on a sundae she was making. "But I'm sure the sight of you would cheer him up. You know where his room is, right?"

"Yes," Victoria nodded. "I do." After she'd left, Malachai watched Helene struggle with the jar a few more seconds before coming over to her.

"Can I help?" He asked.

"Sure," Helene replied. She held out the jar and he shook his head.

"No, I want to help you do it yourself," he said. "Would you mind if I put my arm around your waist? Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Helene replied.

So he put one arm around her waist to steady her, then put his other hand on top of the one that was gripping the lid, and together, they gave it a hard twist, Helene laughing when she heard it pop off.

"Thanks," she said. "That was…that was really helpful."

"You're welcome," Malachai replied, his dark eyes lit up as he went to sit back down. "If you need anything else, you just tell me." He then got a few seconds of silence to himself before Kai and Victoria appeared in the living room.

"What the hell kind of outfit are you wearing?" He said as he walked behind her. "Did you come here wanting to spend time in the play room? Cause you know, it's been awhile since I've been tied up."

"No, I said that this look is a way to try and get _other_ men's attention," Victoria informed him, hands on her hips. "Not yours."

"Then why did you come over here?" Kai wanted to know. "To rub that in my face?"

"Yes," Victoria nodded. "Exactly."

"All right," Kai replied. "But before you go…"

She let out a cry as he pulled her against his body and kissed her deeply, his hands sliding down her back and stopping to squeeze her butt.

"What did you do that for?" She asked after slapping him.

Kai shrugged. "I just thought you'd want a little something to remember me by. That's all. And good luck tonight."

"Thank you," Victoria replied. "Thank you very much." She then zapped herself away and Kai turned his attention to Eva, who'd been watching the exchange with amusement, just like Malachai, grabbing her and pulling her to him just like he'd done with Victoria a few seconds before. "What do you say you keep a lonely man company tonight?" He asked. "Or would that make Sean upset?"

Eva nodded. "I'm sure it would, but if you get enough drinks in me, I'm willing to try anything once."

"What are you doing?" Malachai asked as Eva ran to Kai's room and Kai hunted for wine. "That's your cousin's wife!"

Kai shrugged. "Well, clearly he's doing something wrong if she's interested in _me_ ," he said. "And besides, what could I do to make Sean dislike me more than he already does, hmmm?"

As Malachai rolled his eyes, Kai grabbed a bottle and went to join Eva in his room, locking the door behind him.

* * *

The next morning, Eva woke up to the sound of a ringing phone. "What?" She groaned at the caller. "Why are you calling so early?"

"Where the hell are you?" Sean barked. "Where have you been?"

Eva then sat up and looked around, gasping as she noticed Kai naked beside her, then pulled up the sheet to see her own naked body. "Oh, fuck," she whispered, trying to ignore the pounding in her head.

"What?" Sean asked.

"Nothing!" Eva replied quickly. "I just had a bit too much to drink last night after chatting with your uncle and decided it wouldn't be good to come home. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"That's all right," Sean told her. "Do I need to come pick you up?"

"No!" Eva said loudly. "I just need some coffee and I'll come home myself. See you in a little bit."


	4. Deciding To Be Honest

"I've done something that could be construed as bad," Eva told her mother after barging into her parents' house. "I've done something that could be construed as bad and I have to confess it to someone."

"What did you do?" Her mother Vivi asked. "I have a feeling that since even _you_ think it's bad, I'm not gonna like hearing about it."

"But I'm being _honest_ though," Eva reminded her. "That's a good thing, right?"

"Just tell me!" Vivi cried. "Why is that you and your father always do this to me when you want to tell me something bad? Instead of getting to the point, you just ramble on forever!"

"I got drunk and slept with Sean's cousin Kai!" Eva blurted out.

"Why did you do that, Eva-Michelle?" Vivi asked. "Isn't your cousin Victoria married to him?"

"Well, yeah, but they're having time off now," Eva replied. "You know, like when you wanted to date that professor guy?"

"That doesn't make it okay," Vivi remonstrated. "Are you planning on doing it again?"

"Maybe," Eva shrugged. "Who knows? We'll see."

"So you're leading on the man you claim to love and are sleeping with your cousin's husband behind her back," Vivi sighed and turned away. "Yep, this is a proud day for me as a mother."

"Oh, come on!" Eva pouted. "It's not like you've never done anything wrong in _your_ life, or wanted to see what being with other guys was like when you impulsively decided on being with one person so young."

"I was honest with your father about my needs," Vivi told her. "I didn't sneak around behind his back like you're doing. And what do you expect the result of this to be? That you take all the time you need and then find Sean waiting at your house with open arms to welcome you back?"

"Well, not really," Eva replied. "I have no doubt he'll probably throw me out for at least a little bit. But maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it'll give me the push I need to re-evaluate my life."

"If that's what you want, don't let me stop you," Vivi told her. "It's not like I can anyway."

"All right," Eva nodded. "I will." She headed out and met her father at the door.

"Where are you going?" He asked, holding onto her. "Were you just going to stop by and not talk to me? What's going on with you? I wanna know."

"She's cheating on Sean and having an affair with her cousin's husband," Vivi said. "That's the long and the short of it."

"Why?" King asked, pushing his blond hair out of his blue eyes and looking at Eva with concern. "Why are you doing something like that? Are you and Sean having problems? I thought you loved him."

"Oh, I do, don't get me wrong," Eva told him. "But I just…I've been with him so long that I just…I want to try something a little different."

King heard this and looked at Vivi. "That's exactly what you did, so why are you yelling at her?"

"Because she's not planning on telling Sean what she's doing," Vivi replied. "When I decided you and I should have a break, I made it very clear to you what I was doing."

"Do _you_ think I should tell Sean, Daddy?" Eva asked.

"If you love him, if he's someone you value, then I think you owe him an explanation," King nodded. "It's not right to sneak around behind his back. If you're honest, he might not be happy about it, but at least he can't accuse you of lying to him."

"All right, Daddy," Eva nodded. "That's a good point. I'll be honest with him."

"What?" Vivi cried, her jaw dropping. "When I told you to do that, you said you wouldn't! How come you always listen to him and not me?"

"Cause he's not a big ball of judgment," Eva replied. "Think about that. It might help how you relate to people." She left then and Vivi, more like her mother Amy than her father Klaus in morals and temperament, glared at her husband.

"Don't look at me like that," King told her with a shrug. "It's not my fault that I have a more inviting personality than you. It's like Eva said: something to think about."

"Fine," Vivi told him. "Whatever."

"Hey," he said, running after her and giving her a kiss when she started to walk away. "What's the matter?"

"I just wonder why I'm the bad guy here," Vivi asked. "Cheating on your spouse is a bad thing!"

"I'm sure that Eva will talk to Sean about what she wants and get everything out in the open," King told her. "And then things will go from there."

"Sean is so _good_ for her!" Vivi sighed. "Why is Eva throwing him away?"

"I'm sure she has her reasons," King said. "And even if we think they're stupid reasons, it's not our place to judge."

"Yeah, I suppose," Vivi told him. "But poor Sean. I don't think he'll take it well at all."

* * *

"What?" Sean asked as he fed Sarah And Eva give him her news while striding into Matthew and Christine's house. "That night you told me you got drunk at Adrian and Helene's and were sleeping it off, you were actually in bed with Kai? Why would you do that?"

"He and I had a lot to drink," Eva replied. "I know that doesn't excuse anything I thought I should be honest."

"Well, thank you for that, at least," Sean replied.

"So…what now?" Eva asked. "Do you want me to leave our house?"

"Yes," Sean said immediately. "You don't seem to want to be here, so…I don't want to hold you back from that."

"You don't seem as shocked about me and Kai as I thought you would be," Eva told him. "I was expecting you to be really angry."

"Well, I'm not so much angry as hurt," Sean replied. "Or maybe I'm not even hurt. I don't know. And as long as we've been together, I've always wondered how long it would last. I know I'm not dark enough to keep you interested. I even have wondered from time to time what it was that drew you to me in the first place. And now, I think you've finally made the right choice for both of us. Although I think you might have to battle Victoria for Kai."

"Maybe not," Eva told him. "Remember, they're on hiatus now."

"Well, from what I remember of your cousin Victoria, that hiatus might end the second she knows you and Kai are together." Sean told her.

"That's an interesting idea," Eva said. "I wonder if you're right." She then came and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye, baby."

"Goodbye, princess," Sean told her and then went to grab his things. "You want me to bring your stuff here from the house? I assume you want to be the one who takes care of all this Sarah business cause her mother is _your_ friend."

"Yeah, I'll do that," Eva nodded. "You don't need to stay here anymore. Bring my stuff whenever you want. There's no rush."

* * *

"So she lied to you?" Kai asked Adrian after Adrian told him about Helene knowing that Klaus and Amy were gone and not saying a word to him about it. "Helene lied to you?"

"She would say she didn't lie," Adrian told him. "She would say that she just withheld information because I wouldn't care anyway."

"And is that true?" Kai wanted to know. "I'd totally understand if it was. I don't really care about my mother either."

"Well, what I actually feel about the situation doesn't matter," Adrian replied. "The point is that everyone left me in the dark when they should have let me in on the conversation."

Just then, the door opened and Helene called out, "I'm home! I've had a long day, and Adrian, I already know that you found out what happened to your father, but I don't want to hear you whine about it. In fact," She came into the living room and quickly turned him into a goat, her chief way of dealing with people who annoyed her. "There," she said, kicking off her shoes and settling down on the sofa. "Peace and quiet."

There was silence and then Kai (who couldn't talk because his mouth was full), swallowed and said, "I think he's eating one of your shoes."

Helene looked down and began a tug of war with the determined goat. "Oh, for fuck's sake!" She cried. "Just give it, would you?" They engaged in a tug of war for the shoe until Helene finally managed to pull it away, stagger backward, and then fall flat on her back.

"That's what you get for trying to start trouble with a goat," Kai told her as he looked over her with a grin.

"Speaking of trying to start trouble," Helene said, sitting up, "What was with Eva sneaking out of the house the other night long after Victoria left on her date?"

"Oh, that?" Kai asked. "Eva and I had an evening together. Victoria's seeing other people. Why can't I?"

"Well, okay," Helene sighed. "But why Eva? Why couldn't you pick another woman who's _not_ related to your wife?"

"Why pick a woman who's not related to my wife and whom I would have to take time to seduce when I could get one that's been fascinated with me from the get-go?" Kai asked. "Answer me that."

"I don't want to," Helene said. "Talking with you is just like talking with Adrian. I get nowhere. She stood up and made her way to the kitchen with the goat following and taking her skirt in his teeth, ripping it off so Kai had a very good view of Helene's white cotton underwear.

"Didn't decide to wear our sexy ones?" He asked as he gasped for breath between laughs.

Helene growled at the goat and turned him back into her husband. "I didn't think it was possible, but you're even _more_ insufferable as a goat than you are as a person!" She said.

"Well, that should be a lesson to you then," Adrian told her, smirking cause she was still standing in front of him in her panties. "You talk to me about it instead of throwing a tantrum and using your magic to turn me into things!"

Helene just glared at him with pursed lips, and tried to strode away, letting out a cry as Adrian picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Don't worry," he said over her protest. "I won't do anything you don't want me to. Where would you like me to take you?"

"Bedroom!" Helene cried. "I need to put other pants on!"

"All right," Adrian replied and carried her off to their bedroom and setting her down on the carpet. "There you go."

"Thank you," Helene replied, and just for the heck of it, spanked him on his way out before slamming the door behind him as he quickly turned around to try and come back in to ask her what that was all about.

* * *

"I received a very interesting phone call from my cousin Eva earlier today," Victoria told Kai over the phone that night. "Something about you and she having an evening together?"

"We did," Kai replied, his voice gleeful. "Does that bother you? Are you calling cause you want details?"

"No, of course I do NOT want details!" Victoria replied. Then she paused. "Well, maybe. You didn't take her to the other dimensional place and go to the playroom, did you?"

"I didn't," Kai said honestly. "We just had a lot to drink, felt each other up, and then we were together. I don't remember a lot about it to be honest. If she wants to do it again, I might remember more next time." He paused. "But enough about me. How was your date?"

"Awful," Victoria replied, making a disgusted noise. "My plan is to go with guys who only want sex, right? Well, when I try to show them my kinky side, they freak out and run away. Or even worse, start crying." She shuddered. "I tell you, it's hard."

"Well, you know my bedroom door is always open," Kai told her. "You don't even have to call first."

"Yeah, well, despite my best intentions, if things keep going this way, I just might have to swallow my pride and come back," Victoria sighed. "But only nights, though. I'm not moving in for good. Not yet."

"You say that now," Kai told her. "But we'll see."


	5. Fighting For Nothing

"Do we still have a rule where we can't kill our relatives?" Victoria asked her mother after arriving at her parents' house with the twins in tow.

"Why?" Regina asked. "Who do you want to kill? Is it my father? What's Daddy done now?"

"It's not Grandpa Kol," Victoria shook her head and handed Molly to her mother. "It's Eva."

"Why do you want to kill Eva?" Regina asked. "I thought you liked her."

"I did until she slept with Kai behind my back," Victoria replied, narrowing her eyes and making a violent wringing motion with the hand that wasn't holding Finn secure. "Now I just want to kill her."

"You seem surprised that Kai would do something like this," Regina told her dryly. "Did you expect him to stay a monk when you told him you didn't want to be with him anymore?"

"No!" Victoria shook her head. "But that doesn't mean it's all right for him to go sleep with my cousin! I mean, I pretended I didn't care when she first told me, but now that I've had some time to think about it, I'm pissed off! Where's the sense of decency we have in this family?"

"I have no idea," Regina replied. "I don't even know if we had one to start out with." She paused. "So does this mean you're going to try and get Kai back now? Are you giving up on being separated from him?"

"I don't know," Victoria sighed. "Cause really, I only did this to make a point. I wanted him to know that I didn't approve of his behavior."

"And did you expect him to change?" Regina asked. "Cause really, he's like my father, which is why Daddy hates him so much. You either leave him and feel unhappy, even though you might be pleased morally, or you admit to yourself that there may be things about him you don't like, but there are good things too, and take him as he is. Those are your two choices, so what do you want?"

Victoria sighed. "Well, of course I would take him as he is. I just…I just wanted to make a point to him!"

"And you have, and it failed," Regina said. "So what now? Do you fight for your man?"

"Of course!" Victoria nodded. "He won't know about it, though. It would make him _far_ too conceited to know that I did that."

"Making your whole relationship about monitoring Kai's behavior is a waste of time," Regina warned as she bounced a giggling Molly on her lap. "Tell him how upset you are about what he did with Eva. Who knows, he might take it to heart."

"You think?" Victoria asked.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to try," Regina told her. "And I'll watch the twins while you do that, of course."

"All right, thanks," Victoria nodded and handed Finn over as well. "I'll swallow my pride (well, most of it, anyway) and go talk to Kai. After I straighten things out with Eva."

"Be careful, sweetie!" Regina warned as Victoria made her way to the door. "Eva is stronger than you, you know."

"I remember," Victoria assured her mother. "But really, I'm so mad right now I don't even care. I'm gonna give her the thrashing of her life. It doesn't matter how I come out of it in the end. I'll just heal anyway."

"All right," Regina sighed. "Good luck, dear."

"Thanks, Mom," Victoria said. "I'll be back later, I promise."

* * *

"Hello, Victoria," Eva said, answering the door to her knock. Victoria said nothing, noticing that Eva was holding Sarah. She looked at the pair for a moment and then took Sarah from Eva's arms, setting her down and then punching Eva so hard that her neck snapped.

"What the hell was that for?" Eva asked, bringing her head back up as blood dripped from her nose.

"That was for sleeping with my husband when you have a perfectly nice one of your own!" Victoria cried. "What is your _problem_?"

"I don't have one!" Eva cried, grabbing Victoria's throat and squeezing, pulling her up to her tiptoes. "You can't be mad at me. This is your fault. You said you didn't want him. Why shouldn't I have taken advantage of the opportunity?"

Victoria struggled in Eva's grip (because, being that Eva was descended from two Originals, and Victoria only one, Eva was stronger) but then, just as dots began dancing in front of her eyes, Victoria just randomly kicked out, her boot making contact with Eva's stomach. Eva dropped her as she keeled over and then Victoria kicked her in the head. "Don't you ever come near my husband again. Do you understand?"

Eva looked up at her, coughed, and chuckled. "I'm sure he'll be glad to know you care about him more than you pretend to."

"I don't pretend anything," Victoria informed her. "Sometimes, he's just frustrating. He burned a whole fucking neighborhood down for fuck's sake!"

"He did?" Eva asked, her eyes flashing. "How interesting!"

"See, and that's another reason why you can't come near him anymore!" Victoria told her. "You'd just encourage him."

Eva was about to respond when Sarah let out a cry.

Victoria picked her up and put her back in her cousin's arms. "You have a kid to watch, so I won't bother you anymore. But remember what I said: you and Kai are not a thing anymore."

"Yeah, I know, I heard that," Eva replied. "Are you done?"

"For now," Victoria said, her eyes narrowing. "But if I need to, I won't hesitate to come back." She then left, slamming the door behind her and Eva took Sarah to the living room sofa and sat down.

"Did you see her?" She asked and hugged the little girl. "I think someone was in a bad mood today. She didn't even give me time to explain that I wouldn't want to be with her dumb husband anymore anyway. Once is enough, at least with Sean's cousin. If I ever want to get back with Sean (and I do) I can't dig myself in too deep with other men, can I? This whole exercise is just about me having a little fun, not completely ruining my whole life." She sighed. "At least I hope Sean sees it that way."

Suddenly feeling somewhat contrite, she got on the phone and called her husband. As expected, he didn't answer her, but when the voicemail came on, she said, "Hey, Sean, it's Eva. I'm sure you know that since you didn't answer, but…I want to say that I'm sorry about what happened with Kai. Really and truly sorry. And that I hope we can get back together someday if you ever find it in yourself to forgive me for what I did. All right, bye."

* * *

"Hello, Mr. McCullough," Helene said as Malachai came strolling into her office. "Did you know that the next meeting with your lawyers has been moved to tomorrow? Surely they told you that. Unless you just came to visit me for no reason like you did the other day. I enjoyed that very much."

"Is it your job to keep track of these things?" Malachai asked her. "Cause I really have to thank you for that."

"No, it's not my job, but you know, sometimes when you're bored you overhear things. Anything else I can do for you?"

"No, not really," Malachai shook his head. "Unless you can get Sarah's ridiculous father to drop all this nonsense. That would be easier for everyone."

"Oh, I know," Helene told him. "But people are entitled to drag things out as long as they want, I suppose. Personally, I don't know what he's going on about either. You're a perfectly lovely person."

"As are you," Malachai smiled. "Seeing your pretty face every day is one of the few things that makes this whole mess bearable."

"Aren't you sweet?" Helene smiled. "Between you loving your daughter and telling me I'm pretty, I'd have lots of reasons to like you if I wasn't married."

"Yes, indeed," Malachai nodded took her hand to kiss it. "What a shame."

As he let her hand go, Helene giggled. "Would you like to get a coffee with me? It's almost time for my lunch break."

"Well, of course," Malachai nodded and took her hand to help her out of her chair and they walked out of the Council building together. "I would love to."

* * *

When Victoria got home, she came into an empty house with no lights on. She turned them on and found Kai sitting on a chair by the door with his legs crossed and a smirk on his face, which caused her to start quite badly.

"Oh, come on, sweetheart," he said as he got up, pulled her against him and nibbled on her ear after switching the lights off again. "You know it's so much more fun to do it in the dark."

Victoria moaned as she felt his hands slip under her skirt. "What are you doing here, Kai? Where are my grandparents?"

"They're gone," Kai said. "I showed up and told your grandma what I wanted and she was more than happy to drag your grandfather away for a bit. Don't be such a bad sport. I'm doing this for you. A little birdy told me that you miss me. That not being near me fills you full of jealousy."

"That is not even true!" Victoria replied. "I just…I just wanted to make it clear to Eva that I felt what went on between you two was inappropriate, that's all. Don't tell me you enjoyed yourself."

Kai scoffed. "Well, let's see: I was drunk, and having sex with a woman who wasn't my wife. Sure, your cousin's mindless adoration was nice, and with you being absent, I'll take anyone who comes my way, but come on, Vicky. It's no good. Do us both a favor and come back home."

"No, I don't think I will," Victoria replied. "Not yet."

"Where are the twins?" Kai asked. "Somewhere safe?"

"Well, of course somewhere safe!" Victoria cried. "What sort of mother do you think I am?"

"Good, we'll come back for them later," Kai told her, slipping off her panties so they fell to her ankles, then unzipping his pants and turning her around to face him so that he could enter her from the front. He was very adept even though her couldn't see her and soon she was panting hard as he braced her against the wall and entered her over and over again. Only when he was done and her panties were back in their proper place did what he'd said register.

"Later?" Victoria repeated. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She then let out a curse as she felt Kai sit her down and begin to tie her up. "What are you doing?" She cried as she struggled. "What is the point of all this?"

"The point is that I'm not going to sit idly by and let you be an idiot about us any longer," Kai told her. "Got it?"

With a little help from magic, Victoria was eventually restrained enough so that she could move very little and Kai had to put her over his shoulder while he cast the spell for his solitary dimension.

"Not again," Victoria groaned. "Didn't we just do this?"

"Yes, we did," Kai nodded. "But thanks to you and your being stupid, we need to do it again." He gave her a spanking and then took her through the portal, setting her down on the sofa of the house. "All right. I'm gonna go get the twins now."

"Oh, no you don't!" Victoria replied. "Not until you untie me, you sneaky bastard!"

"Fine," Kai told her. He zapped the ropes away and gave her a long kiss. "I'll be back soon," he told her. "I promise."


	6. Willing To Pick A Fight

After Kai got the twins, he was just about to take them through the portal when his phone rang. "Yes?" He asked. "Whatever you want, can you hurry? I have to go."

"Don't worry," said Sean's voice. "It won't take long. I just want to say 'Goodbye' to you before you go."

"All right," Kai replied. "You know, that's very nice of you."

"Not really," Sean replied, suddenly appearing in front of Kai, spinning him around, and punching him in the face a few times.

"I don't think I have to guess what this is about," Kai said. "Do I?"

"So you don't deny that you slept with Eva?" Sean replied.

"No, I don't," Kai told him. "What do you want me to do about it, though? Apologize for the fact that Eva finds you boring? That's not my fault! You never even married her, did you?"

"No," Sean shook his head. "I didn't."

"Maybe you should have," Kai told him. "It wouldn't have hurt, would it?" He then called up the portal, took a twin's carrier in each hand, and took them through the portal.

* * *

"You can't punch me, I'm carrying children!" Kai called out to Victoria.

"Fine, put the children down," Victoria said, coming to stand in front of him, her arms crossed. "Cause if anyone deserves to be punched in the face, it's you."

"Well, Sean already did that, so you'll have to think of something a little more original," Kai told her.

"Sean punched you in the face?" Victoria asked. "Well, good for him!"

"I thought you'd side with him," Kai huffed. "What's everyone on his side for anyway?"

"How many times do I have to say the words 'You slept with my cousin' before they get through your head and it finally registers that you fucked up?" Victoria told him and smacked him on the back of the skull. "Now, don't get me wrong: I know that I'm looking for other relationships myself and if you had picked anyone other than Eva, I would have said nothing, but do you see now why this is a problem? And apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so!"

"Yes, all right, I'm scum!" Kai cried, holding his arms out so that his stomach was exposed. "Do what you want to me. I don't really care. But you know that whatever you do will probably get us to the playroom anyway. You don't want that, do you?"

"Okay, we will _not_ be going to the play room!" Victoria told him. "There is a difference between when I beat the shit out of you for sexual reasons, and when I do it because I'm angry, and believe me, the body knows."

"Well, fine, if you're going to beat me up, go ahead and do it," Kai told her after putting the twins down. "I don't have all day, you know."

"Fine!" Victoria cried and sent him flying hard against the wall. "I wouldn't want to keep you waiting!"

He landed on the floor in a heap and just as he turned to look up at her, his eyes half-open, she began to kick him. He was right, she thought. She _did_ get a sort of thrill from what she was doing, but it wasn't anything sexual. It was the feeling of raw power just surging through her body as she fought someone who was incapable of fighting back. Bad sportsmanship on the whole, she knew, but it wasn't like she did it all the time. This would be it, providing that Kai learned his lesson after.

When she'd finally tired herself out, she was panting hard, bending at the waist, her hands on her knees.

"Wow," Kai said weakly, although he was smiling. "Listen to you. And I haven't even done anything."

"Oh, shut up!" Victoria ordered. "If you say another word, I'll get a second wind and you'll have to endure round two!"

With a grunt of pain, Kai turned over on his stomach and dragged himself over to where Molly and Finn were sitting.

"Hey, you," he said, taking Molly's hand. "It looks like Mommy's in a bad mood today."

As was fitting someone of her parentage, Molly didn't fear her blood covered father, but instead reached out for him. It was Finn who made a frightened noise at the sight of Kai.

"Just a minute," Kai said to his daughter. "Just a minute." He winced. "I gotta…I gotta try and sit up."

When he was finally in a sitting position against the sofa, he asked Victoria, "Can you push Molly this way? Please?"

Victoria rolled her eyes as she did what he asked. "Oh, stop being so dramatic!" She told him. "You and I both know that you could be completely healed by now if you wanted to be."

"True, but who says I do?" Kai told her.

"Well, at least heal yourself for Finny's sake if not your own," Victoria told him as she cuddled her son and tried to calm him down. "You're scaring him."

"Oh, fine," Kai replied, even though he'd wanted to lay the guilt on Victoria a little longer. He made himself appear normal again and Victoria told him, "You want to let me out of here? I have things to do and people to see."

"So that's what you're gonna do?" Kai asked. "Abandon them while you go sleep around? That's good parenting!"

"No, I'm not!" Victoria shook her head. "Of course I'm not! I have a plan! And it does _not_ involve abandoning our children. I just have to see my mom and dad and I'll be back in a few hours."

"Are you sure?" Kai asked.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Victoria replied. "Just let me out. I promise I'll come back!"

"Fine," Kai sighed. He opened another portal and Victoria left, heading to her parents' house where her father immediately gave her a hug.

"Sorry to hear things are so difficult with you and Kai," he said. "Do I need to kill him? You know I'm very skilled in all kinds of slow and painful torture."

"Thanks, Daddy," Victoria smiled. "But I think I've gotten it under control."

"Oh," Declan replied, looking a little sad and stepping away. "All right then. I'll just…I'll go and do something…else."

"No, no!" Victoria told him quickly. "I need some help. Maybe you and Mom could help me!"

"What is it that you need?" Declan asked, "What do we need your mother for? I know things too!"

"That's true, but do you really want to help me with my love problems if they don't involve torture?" Victoria wanted to know. "I might ask you to come into territory that's unfamiliar for you, and I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"What do you want to do?" Declan asked.

"Well, I've heard tell of a spell where you can create a person to be with, you know?" Victoria said. "Someone that you can make to your exact specifications and they'll be devoted only to you unless for some weird reason, you program them to act otherwise," Victoria told him. "You know that spell? I need to make a guy who'll sleep with me, because though I've tried, no one else meets my specifications, especially not with the game play."

Declan gave her a long look, and then his blue eyes turned dark. He quickly turned away from her and called for his wife.

"What in the world is going on?" Regina said. "What is making you yell like that, Declan?"

"Our daughter wants you to help her make a boyfriend," Declan replied. "You know the process. I thought this would be a better thing for you women to do together."

"Yeah," Regina nodded. "I think it would be."

So they set to work making Victoria's new love interest. Regina whipped up what looked like a batter and then told Victoria to write every trait (both looks and personality) that she wanted the man to have and drop them into the pot where the batter was simmering.

Although she was skeptical of this, Victoria did it anyway and soon found herself standing in front of a tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed, very muscular man who liked cooking, puzzles, and playing the guitar, and cared much more about Victoria than he did himself. She named him Brad.

"I really didn't expect him to look like that," Regina told her. "I was expecting him to look a little more like Kai."

"Well, I was thinking of making him look exactly like Sean, to be honest," Victoria confessed. "And I might change things later, but for now, this look will do. It's already the complete opposite of Kai, anyway."

"And where are you planning on keeping him?" Regina asked. "It will drive your grandfather insane to have you around the house with a man and you don't have a house of your own."

"We're staying the other dimensional house right now," Victoria told him. "Kai was nice enough to kidnap me and take me there again. We have plenty of room there."

"All right," Regina said doubtfully, surprised that her daughter was so willing to cause trouble all of a sudden. "Good luck with that."

* * *

And that was why, when Kai opened the door in response to a knock, he found Victoria and Brad kissing on the other side.

"Oh, for the love of god," he groaned. "You couldn't be any _more_ subtle?"

"Hi," Brad said, turning to Kai. "This is Victoria. She's great! So pretty and nice and wonderful…I could just eat her up!"

"Okay, what sort of magic did you use to get a guy so fast?" Kai wanted to know.

"Well that's a hurtful insinuation," Victoria replied. "I could get as many men as I want because I'm gorgeous!"

"True, but not in the space of a couple of hours!" Kai exclaimed. "How'd this happen?"

"I'm not telling," Victoria replied and pulled Brad into the house after her so she could introduce him to the twins. "It's none of your damn business."

* * *

"It's so sweet of you to come and bring me to lunch every day," Helene said to Malachai. They were sitting at a table in a French bistro that Malachai loved. The lighting was low and every table had a lit candle in the middle, so that it was like they were having a romantic dinner for two in the middle of the day. "I have a lot on my plate right now just like you do, and it's nice to have an hour just to forget about it."

"Oh, it's not a problem at all," Malachai replied. "That's exactly why I ask you in the first place. Well, that and I enjoy your company of course." He paused. "You don't feel bad about what you're doing, do you?"

"No," Helene shook her head. "This wouldn't be the first time my husband and I have parted ways. He'd probably prefer me to be with a warlock anyway."

"Are you going to tell him?" Malachai asked. "Not that I don't find a particular thrill from sneaking around."

Helene giggled and fed Malachai some of her shrimp linguine. "Isn't that good? You know, I feel the need to return the favor of you doing things like this, so…this weekend, what do you say you and I go out?"

"Just out?" Malachai asked. "To dinner?"

"And breakfast," Helene smiled, flushing a little. "I know it may be a bit reckless to ask, but…will you spend a weekend with me?"

Malachai was shocked indeed, but he managed to get out, "All right…but what about your husband?"

"Oh, him?" Helene waved the question away. "He doesn't care what I do, and I don't care what he does. I think we'll get divorced soon."

"I'm sure you're joking," Malachai told her.

"Well, then obviously, you haven't been paying attention to my husband all the time you've been over to our house or Kai has talked about him," Helene replied. "He's a nightmare. That's why I want to have this weekend with just you and me. Will you come? Please?"

"Oh, all right," Malachai said as he looked at her pleading eyes. "How can I say no to that face?"

* * *

But despite his confidence, when it came down to the actual moment Helene had been looking forward to, he couldn't do it.

"What?" Helene asked as she stood in front of him bare naked and he ran his hands over her body in spite of himself. "How can you stand there after I got naked for you and tell me 'No'? Have you forgotten why we came here in the first place?"

"No, I haven't," Malachai told her. "But I'm still trying to hold onto the shred of morality that I have left, and that means I can't just steal you from your husband. If you divorce him, then you and I can be together."

"Well, hell, I'll _kill_ him if it means we'll be together," Helene said. "Well, technically, I _can't_ kill him, but if I could, I would. But I'll get on that divorce thing, I promise."

"You will?" Malachai asked, averting his eyes as she dressed. "Good girl." He then took her in his arms and gave her a long kiss. "You're doing the right thing, you know."

"I know," Helene nodded. "But just so you know, I really, _really_ hate it."

* * *

"And just where the hell have you been?" Adrian asked, pouncing on her when she came through the door a few hours later, but not in a good way. He was angry. Really, really angry. "You lied to me and I want to know where you went."

"I didn't lie to you!" She said. "I haven't been doing anything wrong! Since when is it a crime to visit a person's grandfather when they're sad and alone? He's really freaked out about Mom and Dad and Klaus and Amy missing."

"I know, which is why I called him to give him my condolences," Adrian replied through his teeth. "I bet you weren't counting on that, were you?"

"No," Helene said. "I honestly wasn't. I was counting on you being a selfish jerk like you usually are."

"Well, I sure showed you, didn't I?" Adrian asked. "So…where were you really?"

"I was at a hotel with Kai's uncle," she said, looking straight at him and trying not to flinch. "The plan was for us to spend the weekend together, but he couldn't do it cause you and I are still married. That being said, I want a divorce!"

"You can have one!" Adrian replied. "I won't stop you!"

They then headed their separate ways, but still ended up at Roxie's, coming in separately and shouting at each other.

"Hey, hey!" Vince said, coming to separate them. "What's going on?"

"Throw her out!" Adrian shouted at his brother-in-law and made a growly face at Helene. "Throw her out or I'll kill her!"

"You kill her and I'll throw _you_ out," Vince told him calmly. "Sit down, have a drink, and try to think of something other than killing someone."

"Fine," Adrian replied and pulled himself out of Vince's grip. He made his way to the bar where Renee was once again waiting for a date, having broken up with Malachai when all the stuff started with Matthew's lawsuit.

"You wanna buy me a drink?" She asked, stroking Adrian's arm.

"Fine," Adrian replied, turning to look pointedly at Helene. "What can I get you?"

Helene watched this for a few seconds and then stomped out of the bar, making her own car disappear and then taking Adrian's back to their house, so he would have to find another way to get home.


	7. Trouble Comes Back

"I'll have to send your uncle a thank-you note one of these days," Adrian told Kai as he strode through the door of Kai's other dimensional house. "He finally gave me the push I needed to get that annoying person known as Helene out of my life. I'm done with her now. For good!"

"Really?" Kai asked interestedly. "What did she do?"

"Well, apparently, she's taken a liking to your uncle," Adrian told him. "She wants to divorce me for some reason, and I bet it has to do with him." He stretched out on the sofa, looking smug. "The world works in wonderful ways. Now I can just do whatever I want without her hounding me every two seconds."

"Not to be selfish or anything because I'm scared as hell about having to call Helene 'Aunt', but are you sure there's no chance you'd take her back?" Kai wanted to know.

"No," Adrian said. "Absolutely not. She's your uncle's problem now."

"You're not gonna try and fight for her?" Kai asked. He had to admit that he was surprised by this. "But I thought you liked her. And I'm sure she's not as bad as you say."

"Well she wouldn't be to a person who lets his own wife stomp all over him," Adrian said darkly. "How many kids are you planning on having with Victoria? As many as she _makes_ you have?"

"Oh, I don't think of it that way," Kai told him. "I love my children. Much more than my mother loved me. And why are you so down on kids all of a sudden? You get along well enough with Molly and Finn."

"Not with Molly," Adrian protested darkly. "Every time you put her anywhere near me, she bites me. Or throws food up on me, or some other horrible thing."

"Well that's why I said you get along with them _well enough_ and not _well_ ," Kai told him. Just to mess with his friend a little, (and to test how true his complaints were) he then went to get Molly and as Adrian groaned, sat her right down in his lap.

"You bastard," Adrian said irritably.

"Now, now," Kai told him, an obvious smirk on his face. "No swearing in front of the children. Victoria would be very upset with me if she knew I was letting you say bad words, especially around Molly."

Adrian heard this and chuckled. "You're completely whipped, you know. It's totally easy to see who wears the pants in this house."

They heard a loud, shrill cry echo through the house, something that Adrian thought would disrupt the twins, but neither Molly, nor Finn, who was in his room sleeping, let out a peep.

"What the fuck was that?" Adrian asked, looking dumb-founded as Molly began to chew on his fingers. He let out a cry because she was far enough along in teething that it actually hurt when she bit down.

"No," he said firmly and pulled his hand away. "My fingers are not chew toys. Go find something else to play with, all right? I'm done."

Looking very perturbed as he set her on the floor, Molly crawled away, then locked eyes with him and sent a line of fire from her eyes in his direction. Adrian wasn't burned horribly because her aim was off, but he _was_ smoky and singed.

Kai smiled. "I think someone is unhappy with you," he said. He grabbed Molly and cuddled her. "Are you mad at Uncle Adrian? Is that why you tried to set him on fire? Good for you."

"Hey!" Adrian cried. "Aren't you gonna like…discipline her or something?"

"She's a _baby,_ " Kai told him. "Her powers are unstable. I think you need to grow up." He groaned as another shriek rang out and then a few minutes later, Victoria appeared in the living room, wearing slinky, rose-colored lingerie. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair was messy, and Brad, also in a robe with a whip in hand, walked several steps behind her.

"Kai, I hope we weren't bothering you with all our noise," she said.

"Like it would make you change your behavior if I told you that you were, Vicky," Kai said. "If you're gonna be with him, could you take it somewhere else? This is supposed to be _my_ place of peace and solitude and you being in a room in my house fucking your lover as you scream as loud as you possibly can does _not_ lead to peace and quiet."

"Well, I would be more than happy to oblige you," Victoria told him. "But then I'd have to take the children with me. And I wouldn't want to deprive you of your children, Malachai. So take your pick. It's really up to you."

Kai heard Adrian clear his throat and do a cough that sounded like he was saying "whipped." This made Kai rise to his feet, stride over to Victoria, and said, "All right, you want me to make a choice? I will. I want you to get you and take your boyfriend with you. And I'm keeping the kids. Cause you and I both know you wouldn't be able to handle Molly. She'd kill you."

"Fine," Victoria nodded. "You take Molly and I'll take Finny. That seems fair."

"Good!" Kai shouted. "You do that."

"All right," Victoria replied. "I will." She strode away, and when she returned, she had Finn in hand. "We're gonna go now," she said.

"Remember that you actually have to take care of him now that you won't have me around to do it," Kai told her. "I know it cuts into your sex time, but when we have children, we all have to make sacrifices, don't we?"

Victoria growled at him and soon, she, Finn, and Brad were gone, leaving Kai, Adrian, and Molly in the house alone.

They sat in silence for a little while, and then, to Kai's surprise, Adrian asked, "You want me to stay for the night? Or do you want me to go home?"

Kai closed his eyes and didn't say a word, and just as Adrian was about to get up to leave, he said, "Stop!"

"What?" Adrian asked.

"I want you to stay," Kai told him. "There's a pizza place down the street called Pizza King. Go there, order the biggest meat-covered pizza you can get, bring it back here, and give it to me." He handed him a couple of twenties. "There's money. No time to waste."

" _I'll_ get to eat some, won't I?" Adrian asked, taking the bills and sticking them in his pocket. "Or are you gonna stress eat and hog it all? I figure I should at least get _one_ piece, since I'm getting you your damn pizza."

"Okay, okay," Kai told him. "I promise to save you a couple of pieces. Just go, please."

Adrian left and when he came back, he had a large pizza and another bag.

"Where's the change?" Kai asked.

"There isn't any," Adrian told him and hefted the bag onto the table. "I spent it on beer. I hope you don't mind."

"Nope," Kai told him. "I'm good with that." He went to put Molly to bed and then he and Adrian ate pizza and drank beer, Adrian having enough that it made him pass out on the sofa. Then Kai checked on Molly again and since she was soundly asleep, he went to bed, sleeping much better than he had in a long time, at least until he was awoken by crying in the middle of the night. Still half-asleep, he got up to go to Molly's room and check up on her again.

He went into her room, and in the dim light from the hallway, he could just vaguely make out the image of Molly floating above her crib and crying her eyes out. Kai quickly turned on the light and ran over to her, trying to take hold of her so he could calm her down. But it wasn't as easy as he thought. Whatever held her suspended had a tight hold and there was some gentle but intense tug-of-war that went on for a few minutes before Kai's daughter was finally surrendered to him.

"Now Malachai," said the cold voice he hoped he'd never hear again. "That wasn't very nice. I was just trying to bond with my granddaughter. Unfortunately, she has the same bad attitude that you do. We'll fix that soon, however."

"Mother?" Kai asked. "What in the world? I thought you'd been exorcised. How are you here?"

"I was exorcised _from your wife_ ," Edele told him. "And I suppose that little trick that was done to me made me less of a danger. But I still have some things up my sleeve that I feel your daughter could benefit from."

"No," Kai told her firmly as he clutched his daughter, who began crying again. "You're not coming near me or my kids ever again!"

"Good luck trying to stop me," Said his mother's disembodied voice. "You'll need it." Her laughter then echoed off the walls and Molly was crying so hard that Kai was sure he'd never get her to stop. But then the laughter ended as suddenly as it started and Kai was able to sit his daughter down, put his daughter in his lap, rub her stomach, and calm her down.

"You can sleep with me tonight," he told her. "I don't think you should be alone. She won't hurt you, and if somehow she manages it, I'll find a way to make it all better. I promise." He then kissed her hair and took her past Adrian's room where, miraculously, he was still snoring soundly as if he'd never heard anything. When they reached his bed, Kai climbed in and set Molly down next to him with his arm around her until she fell asleep. He tried to himself several times, but because his mother's laughter was still ringing in his ears, he couldn't.

* * *

"I have to thank you," Malachai told Helene as she led him into the apartment she'd found for him. "I wouldn't have known how to start getting myself a place like this."

"Oh, it's no problem," Helene said. "It's probably nice to have a place of your own after living with Kai and Victoria all the time you did. Oh, and I had an extra key made for myself. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not," Malachai told her. "Who else would I invite over?"

"And one more thing," Helene added. "My husband and I have decided to divorce."

"Really?" Malachai asked, eyebrow up. "Is it really true?"

"Uh-huh," Helene nodded.

Malachai gave her a long, hot look then. "You better not be lying to me," he said.

"I'm not," Helene said earnestly. "I swear."

He pulled her body against his and kissed her, first on the lips, then slowly down her neck. She let out a moan as her whole body became covered in tingles and rose in temperature. As she stepped it up a little and reached down to unzip his pants, the lights flickered and he pushed her away, panting heavily.

"No," he told her. "We can't go any further than this. Kissing is…kissing is it for now."

Helen pouted. "You're a terrible tease, you know. I'm having all this trouble at the Council. I could use a break!"

"What's going on at the Council?" Malachai asked, his eyes full of concern as he put his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Mom's gone," Helene said. "Sent back in time by a rogue spell. And apparently the other Council members don't think I'm competent enough to take over for her, so they've given me a week to get her back before they stage a coup and elect someone else. Malachai, I don't think I can do that!"

"Well, I think they're all a bunch of idiots," Malachai told her. "And if worse comes to worse, you can always help me."

"I can?" Helene asked. "With what?" She paused. "You mean your court stuff, don't you?" She scoffed. "You must think I'm so selfish. Here I am complaining to you and you have enough of your own problems."

"Well, I think I've found a way to fix them," he told her. "And I could use your help."

"Is that so?" Helene asked, intrigued. "What would I have to do?"

"I can't tell you that now," Malachai told her. "Just be patient. All I can say is that I will need you to move in here and watch something very precious for me when I give you a call. Would you be willing to do that?"

"Of course," Helene nodded. "Especially if they oust me at the Council and I've got nothing better to do."

"Thank you," Malachai smiled and gave her another hug and kiss. "That really eases my mind. You have no idea how much you've helped me out."

"Well, I live to help," Helene told him, her dark eyes bright. "You know that."


	8. Save The Children

"What do you want?" Kol asked when he opened the door in response to Kai's knock and glowered at him, preparing to take Molly, who he held in his arms. "If you want to talk to Victoria, I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to talk to you. Unless it's to offer up an apology for what you did, of course."

"Of course," Kai nodded, not even having the energy to fight Kol this time. "Is she here? I need to talk to her really bad. There's a problem with my mother. Molly's in danger! Let us in, please."

"You are _really_ disgusting, you know that?" Kol told him. "Using your children as an excuse to manipulate my granddaughter! If Molly's really in danger, give her to me and we'll take good care of her."

"No, I won't," Kai said, standing up straight. "This is something both Victoria and I need to deal with. I won't be left out just because you don't like me."

"Grandpa, what's going on?" Victoria called. "Who's at the door?"

"It's your cheating loser of a husband," Kol told her. "He says Molly is in danger."

"My mother's back," Kai added as he and Molly came inside. "Not as powerful as she was when she possessed you, but I think she's gonna use Molly as a way to manifest physically, or something equally as horrible. I'm sorry for what happened with Eva. It was a terrible mistake and I won't do it again. We need to be together to deal with this so…will you help me?"

"Yes," Victoria said without hesitation. "I will help you with Molly because even though we've had our difficulties, I don't…I don't want her to die. No one deserves that."

"We'll try to make sure that doesn't happen, but you know how awful my mother is," Kai said as he handed her Molly and took Victoria in his arms. "I hate to bring this up, but I think…I think that although it's not something we want to believe will happen, we should make plans for what to do in case Molly…in case Molly does die. She's just a baby, and even though she's much more powerful than other babies, she's no match for all the power my mother has."

Victoria sniffled and kissed her daughter's hair. She normally fought Victoria every minute she held her, but now it seemed like Molly was taking every bit of affection she could get, and somehow, that made it worse. "What is it that you're planning on doing if Molly passes away?"

"Probably nothing you'll want me to tell you about in great detail," Kai said. "Unless you don't want me to do anything at all."

"Of course I want you to do something!" Victoria told him. "This is the one time I'll allow it. I don't care what you do, I don't care how dark it is, save our baby, Kai."

"All right," Kai assured her as he pulled her close to himself and she lay her head on his shoulder, trying not to sob too hard. "All right, I will. I'll save Molly, Vicky. I promise."

"Good," Victoria nodded. "Thank you. I probably wouldn't have the strength of mind to do what needs to be done, so I'm glad you do."

* * *

As a way to distract herself from thinking about Edele's return (if that was in fact what had happened and Kai wasn't just making it up to get sympathy), a few days later, Victoria decided to talk to Helene, who was the closest thing she had to a friend since she wasn't yet ready to talk to Eva.

"They're planning _what_ at the council?" She asked in shock. "How can they fire you? You're competent!"

"Well, I guess since they didn't officially elect me or whatever, they have to change over to someone more official if Mom doesn't come back in time," Helene shrugged. "I mean, I know she'll come back because it's just awful to think that she wouldn't, but I don't think it will happen in a week. But even if I get thrown out, I'm not so worried anymore. Malachai and I have been talking and he found something for me to do with myself."

"It's an actual _thing_ , right?" Victoria said. "He's not like, asking you to be his mistress or something?"

"No!" Helene shook her head. "It's a legitimate thing. He has something really valuable that he wants me to watch for him, and I told him I would be more than happy to do it."

"And has he told you what this really valuable thing is?" Victoria asked. "I'd be careful if I were you. I know Malachai is attractive and worldly and all that, but he's also involved in some pretty shady stuff and I wouldn't want you to get in trouble just because you let yourself get suckered in by a guy you don't know very well."

"Thanks for your concern," Helene told her. "But I think I'll be fine." She paused. "On to another subject, how are you? You don't seem as upbeat as usual."

"Well that's because Kai's crazy mother has returned in some form and apparently has her eyes on Molly," Victoria replied. "She wants nothing to do with Finny, of course, because Finny is a boy, but Kai said the other day, he and Adrian were over at the house of solitude and Edele just showed up there and possessed Molly, threatening something about making her more powerful. I tell you, it's horrifying. Kai's already afraid Edele is gonna kill her. She's just a baby. She doesn't deserve that."

"No," Helene said and gave her a hug. "You know, Adrian and I don't talk much anymore, but he did say that Kai mentioned something weird had happened to him. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. The distraction would be welcome."

"All right," Victoria sniffled. "Thank you. Thank you very much."

* * *

The next time Helene saw Malachai, she told him what was going on with his nephew and Victoria. "Did you know that your sister is back?" She asked. "Apparently, she's plotting to possess Molly or something."

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "That's why I need to go do something that I thought I had a lot more time to do." He got a suitcase and began throwing clothes and toiletries in it.

"What are you doing?" Helene asked. "Are you going on a trip?"

"Yes, I am," Malachai replied. "There are some people I have to see. But you don't need to worry about that. You just need to focus on that protection job I gave you. I'll bring her over when I get back, and you watch her with everything you have in you. Now that Edele's going after Molly, I can't have her hurting anyone else, too."

"Well, of course," Helene nodded. "Anything you say."

"Good," Malachai replied and gave her a kiss. "Thank you so much. You're really helping me out here. Actually, not just me, but all of magic-kind."

"Am I?" Helene asked, feeling intrigued. "How wonderful. And how is it that I'm doing that again?"

"You'll find out in good time," Malachai told her. "I promise. I have to be going now, but I'll be back soon."

"All right," Helene nodded. "I'm not gonna demand that you call me or anything, but it would be nice to know you're okay when you get to where you're going."

"All right," Malachai replied, grabbing her and kissing her deeply. "You'll hear from me tonight, I promise."

"Good," Helene nodded. "Thank you. Thanks a lot."

* * *

When he got back from his trip and made plans to carry out phase two of how to deal with this Edele issue (cause he didn't want Molly to be hurt. Her or anyone else, for that matter), Malachai took a trip to Klaus and Amy's empty house where he found Stefan sitting in front of the television, which was kind of a let down cause he'd been hoping to discuss what he needed to discuss with Klaus. He thought about it for a while and paused. He needed to get this out now. Stefan would have to do.

"Hi," he said. "You wouldn't happen to know when Klaus is coming back, would you?"

"No," Stefan told him. "I don't know. Did he tell you?"

"No," Malachai shook his head. "He didn't. You're Stefan, right?"

"Yep," Stefan nodded. "And you're…"

"Malachai," Malachai said. "What are you hiding out here by yourself for?"

"It's either stay here or go bond with my brother and my crazy mother and her boyfriend," Stefan told him. "And my brother already had problems with my mom that I don't want any part of. My girlfriend and I are staying here while we're in town. She's Klaus' granddaughter."

"Oh, how interesting!" Malachai replied. "I was just coming to talk with Klaus about a situation in my life that's arose involving a woman, but now there's no point, since he's not here." He looked at Stefan. "Unless you wouldn't mind listening."

"Well, I would," Stefan told him. "But I guess since you don't have anyone else…unburden yourself. Please."

"It's a younger woman," Malachai said. "She works at the witch's council and she's really putting her neck out for me. Her name is Helene and she's really a beautiful woman."

"Klaus' daughter-in-law Helene?" Stefan asked, slightly more interested now.

"Yes," Malachai replied. "She claims she and her husband have parted ways and wants to get close to me. I want that too, but I don't know if I should."

"Do it," Stefan said immediately. "I always thought Adrian was a bit of an idiot. This'll be a good lesson for him."

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "And she doesn't really seem to have anyone else right now. I'd be doing her a favor."

"Yeah," Stefan nodded. "I really think you would. You want a drink?"

"Well, maybe just one," Malachai told him. "Thank you."

Stefan brought him his drink and though they didn't talk, Malachai had the sense that the vampire was at least tolerating him, which he didn't seem to do with most people.

When his beer was gone, he threw the can in the trash, called Helene, and told her he was going to get the thing he needed her to watch.

"Do you want to bring it over to my house?" She asked, calling the mysterious prize 'it' even though Malachai had once referred to it as a 'her' and wasn't doing it anymore. She wondered why that was.

"No, no!" Malachai said quickly. "We'll keep it at mine for now. And I can watch it for now if you need to keep up appearances at work."

"Yeah," Helene nodded. "I kind of do. But I'd be more than happy to stop by tonight and see my new charge."

"All right," Malachai nodded. "When you get home from work, meet me at my apartment, all right?"

"Sure," Helene nodded. "I will."

* * *

When Helene reached Malachai's apartment, she stood outside the door, thinking about what it was that he wanted her to watch: gold, jewels, a precious artifact from his travels? It could be anything! She then knocked on the door and Malachai let her in.

"Where is it?" She asked eagerly. "The thing that you want me to look after? I wanna see it?"

"Well, it's not so much an 'it' as it is a 'she'," Malachai said quickly. "You have to promise you won't be mad."

"Why would I be mad?" Helene wanted to know. Then, she froze as he led her over to a playpen where a little girl was playing happily with a teddy bear. "This is who I need you to watch," he said.

"Who is it?" Helene asked and picked her up. "I've seen her somewhere."

"Well…that's hard to explain, but I'll do it anyway," Malachai replied. "You know my court case? The one between me and the little girl's father?"

"Yeah…?" Helene asked, holding the dark-haired, dark-eyed baby out at arms' length. "What about it?"

"Well…" Malachai cleared his throat and averted his eyes. "That's the baby. That's Sarah. I couldn't stand idly by and watch her be raised by two non-magical people, so I decided to settle the matter and took her while her parents were out."


	9. Taking Action

"You kidnapped a little girl whose custody hasn't been fully resolved yet?" Helene cried, her jaw dropping a little. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Maybe I have, but do you really think I'm wrong?" Malachai asked. "Do you really think her magical education will be as good if she's raised just by people who have no magic?"

"Well, no," Helene replied, thinking of when she had to raise her own children and how her decision to control them because of their magic and not let their non-magical father have much to do with them had been a big part in why she and Adrian had had problems, along with the fact that he acted like an immature child a lot of the time. "I…I suppose I can see where you're coming from, although now that you have her, what are you planning to do with her? Just keep her in hiding and hope that no one finds you to arrest you?"

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "I had to do something. That court thing was just dragging! And I knew I was right! Why wait a thousand years for the right verdict to come down when I can make it happen sooner?"

Malachai pounded on the sofa table with his fist and then took a deep breath to try and calm down as Helene jumped and Sarah burst into tears.

"It's okay," he said, picking her up and kissing her. "I won't do that again, I'm sorry."

She then calmed down, leaned against him and fell asleep.

"You look so natural with her," Helene told him. "And…the fact that you're so committed to her, even if your methods are a bit shifty, well…it's all very touching." She came closer to him as he put Sarah back in the playpen. "In fact," she said, and put her arms around him, "I think I want to kiss you."

"Go ahead," Malachai replied, pulling her to him just before her lips met his. "Be my guest." His hands roamed all over her body, resting on her bottom as he gave it squeeze. Then she moved her lips from his down his neck and unbuttoned his shirt, pushing him down on the sofa.

"Wait, wait, wait!" He said, stopping her. "Do you really think we should do this here?"

Helene paused and looked at Sarah, who was staring interestedly. "Hey," she told her. "You're supposed to be sleeping!"

But she just started laughing and Helene sighed, standing up and pulling Malachai along with her.

"That's the end of that," she said ruefully and fiddled with the buttons on his shirt some more.

"Don't give up," he told her. "We can always do it again later."

"Oh, I hope so," Helene told him. Then she kissed him again. "You really _are_ crazy, you know that? How can you not be worried that someone is gonna show up and drag you off to jail for what you've done?"

"Well, of course I know there's that possibility," Malachai told her. "And I'm prepared for that. You don't need to worry about me. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"All right," Helene told him. "If you don't need help or anything, I should probably go home for the night so I can get rested up for work tomorrow, cause who knows what sort of stuff I'm gonna face there? For all I know, I could be fired tomorrow."

"I hope not," Malachai told her. "But if you do, you know where you have a home."

"Yeah," Helene smiled at him with her hand on the doorknob. "I do…thanks."

* * *

"That bastard!" Matthew cried as both he and Christine stood over Sarah's empty crib. He then looked over at Eva, who, for once in her life, was standing timidly in the doorway and refusing to come any closer.

"All right," he told her. "How in the world did this happen?"

"I didn't mean for it to," Eva replied. "I swear. I'd put her down for a nap and then _he_ came and demanded I hand her over. I said 'no', of course, and then we got in a scuffle and before I knew it, he'd knocked me out and ran off with her!"

Matthew started tensing again, his teeth bared.

"All right," Christine said to him, "Why don't you go lie down? Or better yet, go to Roxie's and have a drink?"

"You know there are other things I'd prefer to do at the moment," Matthew told her.

"Yes, I know," Christine agreed. "I'm starting to feel the same, but if we do, it'll just get us into more trouble, won't it? So you go and try to rest and I'll make our lawyer aware of what's happened. He'll find a way to sort this all out."

"Yeah, he better," Matthew muttered. "Or else, what am I paying him for?"

Once Matthew was gone, Christine glared at her friend. "You're really batting a thousand these days, aren't you?" She said dryly. "First the incident with Kai and now this. Why don't you burn my house down next! Would _that_ make you happy?"

"I've already said I was sorry for what happened," Eva replied. "What more can I do?"

"We had you babysit her because we thought you'd be powerful enough to stave off anything that happened!" Christine cried. " _How_ could he have overpowered you? He's just a warlock for fuck's sake!"

"Well if he's 'just a warlock' why haven't _you_ taken care of him already?" Eva shot back. "You're just as powerful as I am. You could take him down just like I could. And you haven't. He's hoodwinked you just like he hoodwinked me. Think about it."

Christine opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to think of a retort while Eva eyed her reproachfully.

Finally she sighed and said, "I'm sorry. I'm just really freaked out now." She began to cry. "I don't know what to do now. My baby is gone! She might even be being hurt really bad now. I don't know!"

"Oh, she's not gone," Eva said and gave Christine a hug. "Why don't you go call your lawyer, and you'll know what to do next, all right? Everything is going to work out in the end."

"Yeah," Christine sniffled. "Okay."

* * *

"Where's Molly?" Victoria cried as she ran to Kai, since he'd left with their daughter and now she wasn't with him anymore. "What did you do with her?"

"I left her at your parents' house, and your mother even called your grandparents to come and watch Molly too," Kai said, taking Victoria in his arms. "I did it because you need a break. You need to find a way to relax. It won't do anyone any good if you go insane and I have to have you locked up."

"Yeah," Victoria nodded, taking a deep breath. "I suppose you're right." She paused and looked at him. "I need cake. Can you get me cake?"

Kai nodded and zapped her up a single layer chocolate cake and as he watched her devour it, he ran a hand down her back.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" She asked when she paused to breathe. "I know that this behavior isn't helping anyone and I really just need to calm down, but…"

"No." Kai told her firmly. "You shouldn't feel like you have to do any such thing. At least not so soon. It's _my_ mother who's fucking everything up, and I'm gonna take care of it. I can be strong for everyone."

"Are you sure?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah," Kai nodded.

"All right," Victoria smiled and kissed him. "Sounds good to me."

He went to make her a potion to help her calm down and after she took it, he urged her to do something else that would calm her down: playing with Finn. Or at the very least, just holding his tiny body against hers as they both sat in the rocking chair in his room while Kai watched with a smile on his face from the doorway.

"I love you, Finny," she said, kissing his hair. "Your sister is going through a lot right now and I just…I'm so glad you're here. So glad. You have no idea."

"Yeah," Kai replied and came into the room, taking his son from Victoria. "Me too, Finny. Me too."


	10. Some Things Are Hard To Do

**A/N: Kai and Victoria kill a baby in this chapter. It's for a good reason, but you are warned.**

"Well, look who is it?" Kai said when he opened the door and saw Malachai holding Sarah. "Come in!"

"Thank you!" Malachai replied and ran into the house. "I need sanctuary."

"Why?" Kai asked. He led them to Finn, who was very happy to see his friend as Malachai set her down on the blanket next to him. "What have you done now? Did you do something shifty?"

"Of course I did!" Malachai replied. "Do you think it's _normal_ for me to have Sarah?"

Kai shrugged. "I just thought you had her because you won your court case. But you didn't, did you?"

"No, I took her from her parents," Malachai confessed. "But it doesn't seem like she minds." He patted Sarah's head, which made her giggle and reach for him. "I mean, look how happy she is!"

"Well, if you're planning on hiding her here, it's not a good place," Kai told him. "I don't know how the Council feels about me, but I bet they wouldn't hesitate to drag me down with you once they realize what you did."

"Thank you for the support," Malachai told him dryly. "You don't have to worry, though. I have a hiding place. You don't have to be involved."

"Good," Kai told him. "Because I already have enough to worry about. Mother is back and has her ectoplasmic eyeballs set on Molly for some reason. Maybe as a way to get another body."

"Oh, my god, I'm so sorry," Malachai replied immediately, his own worries forgotten as he put a supportive hand on Kai's shoulder. "Was it just the one time? Is she still around? What can I do to help?"

"Well, you of all people should know that once my mother sets her mind to something it's near impossible to stop her," Kai replied. "So Victoria and I are just gonna spend as much time with Molly as we can before Mother comes to collect. And I've tried putting a protection spell on her, although I don't know how effective a deterrent that will be." He sighed. "It's just driving poor Vicky insane. I've never seen her so worked up about anything in the entire time I've known her. She mostly just spends her time cuddling Finny for dear life and eating. I've been having to give her potions so that she'll sleep, she's that freaked out."

"Well, knowing your mother as I do, it seems like the appropriate reaction to me," Malachai replied. "Now, are you sure you don't need my help with anything?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Kai nodded. "Let's just let the kids play and try not to think about this for a little while."

"All right," Malachai agreed as he looked at the two babies who were staring at each other with interest and pushing toys at one another. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

"Do you really want to spend your time running?" Helene asked, sitting on the edge of the tub as Malachai bathed. "Why don't you just grit your teeth and take Sarah back? I'm sure we can work something out with the court."

Malachai sighed. "What would they give me after what I did?" He asked.

"I don't know," Helene shrugged, trying not to look and see if she could see his body under the water. "But if we try hard enough, maybe we could get joint custody. They have to know that Sarah needs someone in her life to teach her magic."

"Well," Malachai sighed. It wouldn't hurt to try." He splashed her then, soaking her white blouse.

"What did you do that for?" She cried.

"So you'd have to take that off," he said, smiling wickedly. He then waited to see if she would do it, but she just grinned coquettishly and zapped herself a new shirt, then gave Malachai a large splash.

"Sorry," she told him. "I don't think I can do that for you today." She then went to answer one of Sarah's cries while Malachai finished his bath.

When he was all dried off and dressed, Malachai joined Helene and Sarah and said to her, "So…what is this plan of yours? The one that will stop all this custody battle nonsense?"

"We propose joint custody," Helene repeated. "We go on the same angle you've been using, you know, the one where you say that Sarah needs to have someone in her life who can teach her magic, but then you promise that you won't take her for good. That you'll share her with Matthew and Christine. You can do that, right?"

"Of course _I_ can," Malachai replied, his dark eyes sparkling a little as he put a hand on his chest. "I don't know about them, though. That Matthew is liable to pull a gun out and start shooting the second he hears."

"Maybe he won't," Helene replied, trying to sound optimistic. "Maybe once he and Christine realize that you're not trying to take her away for good and that your main goal is to make sure she learns magic, then they'll lighten up a little."

"Who knows?" Helene shrugged as she went to grab the phone so Malachai could call his lawyer. "I guess we'll see."

* * *

"I don't know why we have to go through with this," Matthew said to Christine as they waited for Malachai, Helene, and his lawyer to show up. "He kidnapped our daughter! We don't owe him anything! He should be in jail right now!"

"I know he should," Christine agreed. "We'll just have to see what they want from us. Maybe this meeting is to tell us that he's confessing to what he did and being put in jail so we don't have to deal with this anymore. But you have to calm down. Being emotional like this is not gonna help our case."

"I think anything will help our case when the person opposing us is a kidnapper!" Matthew cried, turning a bright shade of red and squeezing Christine's hand so hard that she cried out in pain. That seemed to bring him out of his fit of anger and he quickly apologized, gave her a hug, and tried to control his breathing. It took everything he had in him to stay seated when Malachai and Helene entered the courtroom, and he saw that Sarah was in his rival's arms and looking as happy as can be.

"Should we be worried that she doesn't seem bothered a bit by what happened?" He asked Christine.

"No, I don't think so," Christine said. "I think we should consider ourselves lucky that that's the case. Remember that your brother told you in cases like this, the children aren't often well-taken care of."

"You have a good point," Matthew conceded and eased back into the carved wood chair.

When everyone was seated, Malachai's lawyer began. "Before we continue with our negotiations, my client has something he would like to say."

"All right," Matthew's lawyer told him, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "We're waiting."

"I would like to apologize for what happened," Malachai got out, looking both Matthew and Christine in the eye. "What I did was wrong. I was so eager to have this precious little girl in my life that I did things that were hurtful to the people who love and care for Sarah just as much as I do. Since it's clear that she has an attachment to both of us, and that she _does_ need someone to help with her magic education, I propose joint custody. That Sarah spend some days with me, and some days with you." He then waited for Matthew and Christine's response, which didn't disappoint.

"Why would we let you keep her at your house?" Matthew asked. "How do we know that you're going to give her back once you have her?"

"I will," Malachai said firmly. "I promise."

"And I'll even supervise to make sure that this whole thing is done properly," Helene added. "Would that satisfy everyone?"

"But what about your duties to the Council?" Matthew's lawyer asked. Since he was from Andrew's office, he was well aware of Helene's place in the magical world. "This is a full-time responsibility. You won't be able to keep your position at the Council _and_ supervise Mr. McCullough while he visits with Sarah. You have to make a choice."

"Then I choose to help him," Helene said firmly, surprising Malachai, even though he knew it was coming. "I know that people are just itching to edge me out at the Council anyway, and this way, I leave how I choose."

"Helene, you don't have to do that," Malachai said quickly. "We can find another way."

"No, we can't," Helene told him. "I want to do this, Malachai. Please let me."

"All…all right," Malachai nodded. "If that's what you want, who am I to stop you? Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome," Helene told him and grabbed his hand. They then waited to see what this new offer did for Christine and Matthew's thought process.

As was expected, Christine caved first. "All right," she said. "I suppose that as long as Mr. McCullough is being supervised by someone responsible and trustworthy, and he promises to bring Sarah back to us at the appointed times, I have no further objections." She looked at her husband. "Do you?"

"Oh, I have _many_ objections," Matthew sighed, pushing his chin-length dark hair out of his green eyes and tugging on his blue tie. "But as I am out-voted, and it would quickly be pointed out to me that many of my objections are based on pettiness and spite, I guess I have no choice but to agree to this arrangement. However," he leaned forward, looking at Malachai with narrowed eyes. "If you renege on your promises or hurt my daughter, I will kill you. Do you understand?"

"You don't have to worry about that," Malachai replied, his voice not wavering a bit. "I won't let anything happen to your daughter. I promise."

Hearing Malachai phrase that last sentence as if he were only watching Sarah temporarily and not planning to completely possess her as his daughter made Matthew ease up a bit. "All right," he said at last, and then ended on a resentful note, "Thank you for helping Sarah with her magic. We don't know what to do about that at all."

* * *

"Did you _really_ have to bring her over?" Adrian asked when Kai brought Molly with him to watch TV at Adrian's house. Since Helene was now living at Malachai's spare house, things were much quieter.

"I have to," Kai replied. "My mother is threatening to hurt her and while I doubt I'll be able to hold it off forever, I want to avoid it as long as I can. It's going to kill both Victoria and me to lose our baby, though."

"Oh, you're not gonna lose her," Adrian replied. "I mean, come on! What is it that you're known for?"

"Stealing people's magic," Kai said.

"True," Adrian nodded. "And here's my question: if you can put someone else's magic in yourself, can't you put Molly's life force in someone else? Isn't that the same thing?"

"Could be," Kai smiled and put a hand on Adrian's shoulder. "It's so nice you want to save my daughter."

"Just for your sake," Adrian said quickly. "No other reason."

"Well, I think it's a good idea," Kai replied. "You might be onto something. Will you help me?"

They went to an orphanage and, posing as a gay couple, managed to get themselves a female baby who was about the same age as Molly.

Then they brought it back to Kai and Victoria's (cause there was no way Adrian was taking care of it) to look after it until the time came to make the switch.

Kai was a little nervous about explaining the baby's presence to Victoria, but when he finally _did_ tell her, she was surprisingly matter-of-fact about it.

"I wouldn't condone this ordinarily, you know," she told him. "But…but saving Molly is so important that I'll overlook it this once. Do what you have to do." She paused. "We won't keep having to do this, will we?" She asked. "You know, have to get a new body every time your mother messes with the current one? I can't handle that."

"No, that won't happen," Kai told her firmly. "I promise. I'll get Mother out of the way before we have to go through this again."

* * *

And they didn't have to wait much longer. A couple of days after Kai brought the other baby home, they heard crying and choking and all sorts of things. They came into Molly's room and saw that once again, Edele had hold of her.

"Glad to see you're here," she said. "I wanted you to be here to witness the big moment."

Malachai held on tight to Victoria as his mother's spirit went in through Molly's open mouth. Molly immediately began crying and thrashing, and that was when Kai and Victoria went into action. Victoria went and got the other baby while Kai put a spell on Molly that made her essence visible as a sort of white glow around her tiny body which would make the transfer easier.

"Now you know what we have to do," He said, looking at Victoria. "You think you can do it?"

"Yeah." Victoria said with confidence. "I think I can." She then patted the other baby and said, "Don't worry. You won't suffer long." Then she grabbed a pillow and smothered the child. When she removed the pillow, the baby just seemed like it was sleeping. Victoria put the pillow down and although she didn't cry or betray any other visible emotion, Kai could see that her body was shaking.

"You did the right thing," he told her as he brought Molly's essence to the other body and then put the protection spell on it. "You did the right, thing. I'm proud of you."

It was while Kai hugged Victoria, he saw his mother's essence rise up. She let out a terrible shriek and after a few desperate tries to enter the new baby's body, she growled in frustration, cursed Kai's cleverness, and disappeared.

"She's gone," Kai told Victoria, his smile wide. "Did you hear it? She's gone!"

"For now," Victoria replied, picking up the baby and praying that the transfer had worked. She and the child stared at one another for a few seconds and then she broke out in a smile, letting Victoria hug her and then reaching out for Kai.

"It worked," she said, finally bursting into tears. "Oh, my god. It worked!"

"It did," Kai said. "Thank you for your help."

"Like I would have let you do this alone," Victoria told him, sniffling and wiping her nose on her sleeve in a very un-Victoria-like way. "She's my daughter too. I'm not going through all this just so I end up with only one baby. Not gonna happen. Sorry."

Then the phone rang, and Kai ran to answer it.

"Has the thing happened?" Adrian wanted to know. "Have you had to give Molly her new body?"

"Yes," Kai told her. "What we've been dreading for so long has happened and we got through it. We still have Molly. You wanna see her?"

"All right," Adrian told him. "I'll be over in a little bit."

"I'm sure Molly will love to see her Uncle Adrian when you get here," Kai said. "Thank you so much for your help."

"You're welcome," Adrian said. "You know I'm not so good with kids, but…I'm glad you still have both of yours."


	11. Starting Over

"Are you feeling better now?" Kai asked Victoria as she played with Molly. "You seem better."

"Oh, I am," Victoria nodded. "Thank you for putting that protection spell on her. Seeing that it works really put me at ease."

"No problem," Kai told her. "It's my pleasure." He watched them for a bit and smiled. "It's interesting that she's willing to be so close to you now. Mom must have really done a number on her."

"Well, of course!" Victoria replied. "It's hard enough being possessed as an adult, but being possessed as a baby must be horribly difficult. No wonder we had to save her." She paused. "I'm going to ask you a question and you need to be honest with me: Do you think your mother will come back?"

"With her, you never know," Kai shrugged. "I'd like to think she won't, but we always need to sleep with one eye open."

Victoria sighed and instinctively held Molly close to her. "I thought you would say that," She said. "Although I was hoping for another answer."

"I know you were," Kai replied. "But like you said, it's better to be honest than lie." He paused. "And just to get it all over with for sure…what do you want to do with Molly's first body?" He'd kept it in a little cooler under his and Victoria's bed until they had time to make a real decision about what to do with it.

"Well, I think we should bury it properly," Victoria said. "Don't you?"

"Of course," Kai nodded. So he got the body, they both took Finn and Molly outside, and to Victoria's surprise, he actually took the time to dig the grave by hand, zapping up a tiny white coffin to put her in, and then burying it. When the grave was filled in completely, he said, "So…funeral now?"

"I feel like something is missing," Victoria replied. She then put a rose bush on top of the spot and then stepped back, smiling with satisfaction. "There we go," she said. "That's better. Now we'll have pretty flowers to help us deal with the loss."

"Pretty flowers and the fact that she's still here," Kai added, holding Molly up a little.

"Yeah," Victoria smiled. "That too."

A short while later, Regina and Declan showed up, and it didn't take any time at all for Molly's grandparents to notice the change in her, even though she was enthusiastic toward them just like normal.

"Okay, what happened?" Declan wanted to know as he took Molly and looked her over. "She looks different." He peered at Kai. "What have you done?"

"Don't blame him," Victoria told her father. "What he did was good! If it weren't for him, you'd only have one grandkid!"

"My mother came back somehow and was gonna possess Molly to use her for some nefarious reason, so Victoria and I decided it would be best to get her a new body, and I haven't had time to fix her appearance quite yet," Kai explained.

"Oh," Declan nodded and sat down. "Well, thank you."

"You're welcome," Kai replied.

"And when he says 'get her a new body', does it mean what I think it means?" Regina asked her daughter.

"Yes," Victoria nodded. "Don't judge me! I did what I had to do and I shouldn't be made to feel guilty about that."

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty," Regina replied as she took Victoria in her arms. "I just want to know if you're doing all right."

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "I'm better now, thank you."

"Good," Regina nodded. "I'm glad."

"Is your father around?" Kai asked Regina. "I have to tell him about what happened with Molly. Do you think he would care?"

"Well, of course he would care!" Regina replied. "And he might even like you better for it."

"Not that that's why I feel I need to tell him in the first place," Kai told her quickly. "Cause as we know, I've never really cared if he didn't like me. I've always done what I want anyway."

"That is a very good point," Regina agreed. "But I still think that he and my mother would like to know anyway."

"And when you go, I'm going to come with you," Victoria told him firmly. "I don't want there to be more trouble than can be helped."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll be good," Kai told her seriously. "You've been through enough trouble. I'll really try not to cause you more."

"Well, thank you," Victoria smiled.

"Why don't you go now while you're thinking about it?" Regina encouraged. "Your father and I will watch the children for you."

"All right, as long as you're here, why not?" Victoria smiled. "It'll be nice to get it over with."

Kai heard this and chuckled.

"What?" Victoria asked. "Why are you laughing at me? What's so funny?"

"I just find it amusing that you seem to be more nervous about facing your grandfather than I am," Kai replied.

"Well, I know him better than you do," Victoria said firmly. "If you know about him what I know, you'd be nervous too."

"No, I wouldn't," Kai said confidently as Victoria said goodbye to her parents and she and Kai made her way to the car.

"All right, you wouldn't," Victoria conceded. "But maybe you should be."

* * *

When they arrived, Kol and Margot had just returned from a hunt and both were clearly full of blood. Kol even still had some dripping down his chin.

"Good hunt?" Victoria asked. "Looks like it?"

"Oh, yes," Kol nodded. "I took your grandmother out as a way to help ease her pain about what happened to Amy."

"What happened to Aunt Amy?" Victoria asked. "Was it something bad? I've been a little preoccupied lately."

Kol chuckled. "Apparently, she, my brother, and Alistair and Astrid got sent back in time somehow and no one is quite sure exactly where they went or how to get them back."

"Oh, my god," Victoria said as she looked at Margot. "I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, you don't have to," Margot told her. "I'm really not as distraught as your grandfather wants to believe. I mean, I'm a little concerned, of course. But Amy's smart. She'll figure out how to get back somehow. Why have you been preoccupied? Is it about Molly? Your mother told me you were having trouble with her."

"Not so much her as Kai's mother," Victoria replied. "She plotted to possess poor Molly and she finally did it so we had to get Molly a new body. Kai took care of all the hard stuff so I wouldn't have to."

"Did you?" Kol asked Kai, feeling a grudging respect for his granddaughter's husband, even though he really hated it. "Well, how nice. We…we should get a drink sometime."

"Why don't you go now?" Margot asked. "It's not like we're doing anything."

Kol gave Margot a look. "I just got back from hunting. I'm a bit tired to go out again."

"That's okay," Victoria said. "Kai can make drinks. You don't have to go anywhere!"

"Well," Kol said between his teeth, "isn't that fortunate?"

"What's wrong?" Victoria asked. "You just said you wanted to do something nice with him. Why are you in a bad mood?"

"I was hoping you'd let me wait a little while," Kol said.

"Oh?" Kai nodded. "I understand. You're old. I know you can't handle it. We can wait."

This made Margot and Victoria sit forward on the sofa, their hands clutched in each other's while they waited to see what Kol would do next.

And he didn't disappoint. Although the first thing he did was zip away, when he returned, it was with rope in hand and a shiny knife. He quickly got it around Kai's neck and began choking him while also stabbing him repeatedly in the back while saying, "I'll show _you_ who's old. How do you like that?"

As blood spurted on his face, Margot said to Victoria, "Do you think we should stop this at some point?"

"Yes, we should," Victoria told her. "But not yet. Kai brought this on himself. And since he's a vampire, it's not like it'll kill him."

Eventually, though, Victoria took pity on Kai and told Kol to step away. "You have to be done by now, right?" She asked as Kol put the bloody knife down at his side.

"I suppose," Kol told her. Then he frowned at Kai. "You're not showing fear. I hate that."

Kai smirked. "You want me to explain why stuff like that doesn't bother me? I could. See, Victoria and I have this room, where we-"

"Stop!" Kol cried. "I don't need hear anymore. Let's just have that drink, all right?"

* * *

"Thanks for your help with Molly," Victoria told Adrian when she brought the little girl to visit him at his request, which really surprised her. "Especially since you're not really a kid person."

"Well, it's like I told Kai: even though I might not be made for dealing with children, I don't think you should be deprived of your chance," Adrian told her. "I know I act like a bastard a lot of the time, but I was glad to help."

"I think Molly wants to say 'Thank you' as well," Victoria told him as her daughter reached out.

Adrian took her and looked into her eyes. "I'm glad you're not dead," he told her. Then she reached out and squeezed his nose real hard, making him wonder if he really meant that.

He detached her hand and then and they sat down calmly as she lay her head against him. "This is nice," he said.

"Really?" Victoria asked. "Cause you know I'll eventually take her home?"

"That and no powers are suddenly manifesting out of the blue," Adrian said. "She's still gonna be a witch, right? Or whatever she was before the body change?"

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "I think. Are you scared again?"

"No," Adrian replied. "I can handle it."

"How have you been occupying your time since separating from Helene?" Victoria wanted to know. "Or should I talk about that?"

"You can," Adrian nodded. "I'm finding ways to occupy myself, mostly courtesy of your husband. And I heard Helene got fired from the council. That's a shame because managing people is something she's good at."

"She got fired for helping Kai's uncle," Victoria said. "They're an item now. Or something."

"Good," Adrian replied. "He's probably better for her anyway."

"You think?" Victoria replied. "You're not even gonna fight for her or anything?"

"I would if I thought it would do any good," Adrian replied. "But it won't. We've tried to get back together more than once and it always starts out well, but then we end up in the same bad place. Moving on was the best thing for both of us."

"All right," Victoria nodded. "As long as you're sure about it."

"Of course," Adrian nodded. "Believe me, Helene is better off without me."

* * *

"So how the hell did you con your way into getting Sarah?" Kai asked in amazement when he went to visit his uncle. "I know you've pulled off a lot of cons before, but this is really unbelievable."

"It was nothing I did," Malachai said humbly. "I had a lot of help." He went and got Helene, kissing her right in front of his nephew, and when she pulled away, she didn't even blush.

"Hello, Kai," she told him. "How's Adrian getting on? Reveling in his frat boy ways like usual, I suppose?"

"Mostly, yes," Kai nodded. "But he just helped me save Molly from death at the hands of my crazy mother, so he _does_ have some good in him."

"Oh, I never doubted that," Helene assured him. "He can be a good man when he wants to, it's just…that's less often than I would like." She turned to face Malachai. "It's good for both of us I have a man who's more up to the challenge now."

"Tell me if you're gonna kiss again cause I'll excuse myself if you are," Kai told his uncle.

"We are," Malachai replied and took Helene in his arms. "You might want to close your eyes now."

Kai rolled his eyes and went to look down at Sarah. "Hey, there, kid," he told her. "How are you? Are you looking out for my uncle?"

Sarah giggled and reached for him. She hadn't seen him much, but she probably reminded him of Finn somehow.

He picked her up and covered her eyes. "Let's go to the kitchen," he said as Helene and Malachai continued to kiss and his hands moved down her back to her butt. "This is not for children to see."

They ate in the kitchen and were soon joined by Helene. "All right we're done," she said. "You can come back in now."

"No, thanks," Kai said. "I have lots of food I need to work on keeping down."

"Tell me you're more romantic with Victoria," Helene said as she sat down."

"Yeah, I am, in my own way," Kai replied. "So, is all the court stuff over with yet?"

"I think so," Helene nodded. "We got through it all right."

"Yeah," Kai said. "I'm glad it gave you a taste of what life with my uncle is like."

"What's that mean?" Helene asked.

"Oh, I don't need to explain it," Kai told her. "I'm sure you'll see in the future."


	12. Parting Ways

"You know, you're quite the teaser," Helene told Malachai as she came in for breakfast and he greeted her with coffee pot in hand and a kiss.

"I don't know what you mean," Malachai said to her.

"Every time Kai comes over to see you, you kiss me just to make him feel disgusted, don't you?" Helene asked.

"Well, that's not the _only_ reason, but I admit that it does make me chuckle," Malachai told her with a smirk. "If you know that, though, why do you always play along?"

"Is that a serious question?" Helene asked. "Do you really believe I would pass up a chance to kiss you?"

"Well, I hope you wouldn't," Malachai replied, taking her in his arms after putting the coffee pot down on the counter. He kissed her long and deep and then they pulled apart, leaving Helene feeling like all the breath had been pulled from her.

"That was nice," she said. "Almost made me forget what I have to do at the courthouse today."

"What is that?" Malachai wanted to know. "Helping someone else get a child?"

"No," Helene shook her head. "Adrian and I begin divorce proceedings today."

"Oh," Malachai nodded, his tone changing. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Helene said. "It was a long time coming for both of us and I think it's the right thing to do."

"Well…good then," Malachai replied.

"Will you be okay here with Sarah?" Helene wanted to know. "I don't know how long it will take."

"Yeah, I should be fine," Malachai nodded. "Don't worry. You just go do what you need to do and I'll be here when I get back."

"Thank you," Helene said and held out her cup. "I don't leave for a few hours yet, though. And may I have some coffee?"

"Sure," Malachai nodded, pouring her some as Sarah woke up. "I'll go check on her.

"All right," Helene nodded. "Good idea."

By the time Malachai and Sarah arrived at the breakfast table, Helene had set him up with some eggs on a plate, and then after he ate, he fed Sarah some mushed up baby cereal, which she ate with gusto.

When that was done, Helene went to shower and dress and before she knew it, it was time to leave and go meet Adrian.

"Good luck," Malachai told her as she kissed him on the cheek.

"I don't think I'll need it, but thank you," Helene told him. "I believe it will be a fairly simple process because Adrian is just as eager to move on with his life as I am."

"Here's hoping," Malachai told her. "See you later."

* * *

When she got to the courtroom, she saw that Adrian was already there and dressed in a blue shirt, red tie, and navy blue suit.

"You look nice," she said. "But your tie needs to be fixed a little. Would you like me to do it for you, or would you rather I just left it alone?"

"Actually, I was kind of hoping for your help," he said. "So thank you."

She deftly retied his tie and said, "You look nice. Did you get that suit on your own?"

"I asked Uncle Elijah for advice," Adrian told her. "He knows that stuff better than I do."

"Yes, he does," Helene smiled. "How's your mom taking our divorce?"

"Very well," Adrian replied. "She understands. I mean, she divorced Dad after all. She just wants us both to be happy. And I guess we have to be divorced to do that."

"Yeah," Helene nodded. "I guess so." She paused. "This might seem like kind of a silly question, but…do you think we can still be friends after all this is over? Or would you rather be as far away from me as possible? If that's true, I'd understand."

"No, of course not!" Adrian told her. "Just because we sucked at being married doesn't mean we should stop being friends. Cause we were friends _long_ before we got married right? And that went relatively well, except for, you know, the couple of times I put you in the hospital, which I'm still very sorry for, by the way." He paused. "Is that what _you_ want?" He asked. "Cause it's what I want."

"Yes," Helene nodded. "I'd like that." She smiled. "Do you think…do you think I could get a hug before the judge gets here and we hash this all out?"

"All right," Adrian nodded. He gave her a hug and kissed her hair just as the judge came in. "I'm supposed to be overseeing a divorce here," he said to them as they pulled apart. "Am I in the right room?" He scratched his balding head.

"Yes, you are," Helene told him, clearing her throat. "And we're gonna make it easy for you: He's gonna keep his stuff, including the dog, and I'm gonna keep my stuff. Let's get those papers to sign."

"So we don't have to deal with anything like custody issues?" The judge asked.

"No," Helene shook her head. "That's not necessary."

"All right," the judge replied. "Easy cases like this are so infrequent. Now that I know what we need to do to proceed, I can draw up the appropriate papers and the two of you can come and sign them in a few days, all right?"

"Wonderful!" Adrian smiled. "That's fine with me."

"Me too," Helene told him. "Thank you."

"No," the judge smiled at her. "Sincerely, thank _you_."

* * *

"Do you think I'm a bad person for being so relieved about me and Adrian going our separate ways?" Helene asked Victoria when they met each other for lunch after the time at court was over for the day.

"No, of course not!" Victoria replied. "If you're not comfortable with someone, you shouldn't feel bad about moving on."

"I notice that you didn't stay away from Kai for too long," Helene said. "Was that your own choice, or was it more about the stuff with Molly and Kai's mom?"

"I'd have to credit Edele with that," Victoria smiled. "It's funny, though: she spent her whole life doing everything she could to make Kai miserable, and in the end, this latest stunt did the one thing that made him happiest."

"Well, that _is_ interesting," Helene told her. "And how is Molly? Did the spell work the right way?"

"Yep," Victoria nodded. "Adrian's even taken to her for some reason." She shrugged. "I don't get it."

"Adrian likes a kid? That I have to see!" Helene smiled.

"It shouldn't be hard since Adrian practically lives at our house now," Victoria told him. "We can go after lunch."

"All right," Helene smiled. "Can't wait."

And she really couldn't. She wolfed down her lunch and although she didn't tell Victoria to hurry, her friend could tell how eager she was, so she too ate as fast as she could without choking. Then she paid the bill and they went on their way.

* * *

When they got back to Kai and Victoria's where Adrian and Kai were hanging out with Finn and Molly, to Helene's surprise, Molly had spread herself out on Adrian's lap. And not only that, he didn't seem to mind all that much.

"Well, well, well!" Helene smiled when she saw. "Look at this!"

"Sorry," Adrian apologized quickly.

"What are you apologizing for?" Helene asked. "I think it's nice you're bonding with a kid."

"Even if I'm doing better with someone else's kid than I did with any of ours?" Adrian wanted to know.

"Oh, you weren't _completely_ terrible," Helene told him. "You and Lenora got along for some time before everything went wrong. And Liam likes you."

"You have a point," Adrian smiled. "Thanks!"

"So…how's my uncle?" Kai asked Victoria as he lifted Finn off his lap to hand him over to Victoria. "He's not causing you too much trouble, is he?"

"No," Helene shook her head. "I think your uncle is a perfectly lovely man. He's at home with Sarah right now."

"Isn't part of your deal that you're supposed to watch him or something?" Kai asked. "Wouldn't Sarah's parents be upset if they knew you were leaving the two of them alone for a long time?"

"Oh, I'm sure they wouldn't mind," Helene replied. "I mean, Matthew might, but he hates everything. Christine, however, is much more reasonable and knows that I sometimes have to do other things and can't watch Sarah every minute. I'm sure your uncle won't try and kidnap her again. Not when he got what he wanted from the ruling." She paused. "Unless you know something about him that I don't."

"Yeah," Victoria urged. "If you know something about Malachai that would put Helene or Sarah in danger, you should tell her."

"Oh, it's not that bad," Kai replied. "A little weird, maybe, but since you were married to Adrian, you're used to that."

"Hey!" Adrian complained.

"Am I wrong?" Kai smirked. Then he turned back to Helene. "Just forget I said anything. You have nothing to worry about from my uncle."

"Are you sure?" Helene asked.

"Yes," Kai nodded. "I'm absolutely sure."

* * *

But Victoria was still skeptical, so that night, after the twins were in bed, she took Kai and the monitor to the playroom where, after he took off his shirt, she chained him up and whipped him till he finally agreed to tell her, dragging himself across the floor and then, after she helped him to stand, whispering the reason for his worry in her ear.

"Oh, my god," she said, her jaw dropping a little. "Did he seriously do that?"

"Yes," Kai nodded. "Just like us, he doesn't think Mom's done being a danger either. I'm the only one he told, though, and I promised I wouldn't say anything, so don't let him know that you know, and it's _especially_ important that you don't tell Helene."

"Oh, is it?" Victoria asked. "I wasn't sure, because of all the less-than-subtle hints you've been dropping every time Helene is in the room!"

"Well, if you think she's in danger, I'll tell her, otherwise, we keep it quiet and let Uncle Malachai tell her when he wants to," Kai said. "Agreed?"

"Yes," Victoria nodded. "Agreed." Then she ran her fingers over the bloody trails down his back and slowly licked her fingers off while Kai watched her intently. "Why don't we shower and go to bed now?" She sighed.

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "I think that's a good idea."


	13. Better Off Alone

"I can totally believe that you and Mom are getting divorced," Felicity told her father when Adrian arrived at Klaus' house to break the news to her. "My question is, why in the world did it take this long?"

"Cause we thought we could get better," Adrian replied. "But after a lot of talking, we decided that we can't."

"And it doesn't have anything to do with Mom having a new boyfriend?" Felicity questioned. "I know all about that. Liam told me."

"Ah," Adrian nodded. "That's why it's not a big surprise to you. You heard it from your brother."

"Yeah, exactly," Felicity nodded.

"So what are you going to do now?" Stefan asked. "Do you have another woman already?"

"Well, there's this woman Renee who hangs out at my sister's bar," Adrian told him. "We get together from time to time, but I don't know." He sighed. "Maybe I should be out of the relationship game for a little bit."

"Maybe you should," Felicity agreed. "Who knows?"

Adrian thought about this, and what surprised him was that he thought it was a good idea. But he also believed he should ask around just to be sure.

"What?" Ronan asked when Adrian told his grandfather about his plan. "You giving up on women? There's a surprise. Are things not going so well with Renee?"

"I thought they would cause I believed I wanted relationships with no strings attached, but when Helene and I parted ways, my mind changed a little. Do you think Renee will be upset? And it won't be forever. Just until I've had time to clear my head a bit."

"I understand," Ronan replied. "After things ended with your grandmother, I took some time off myself."

"Didn't Mikael kill you after you ended things with Grandma?" Adrian asked.

"No," Ronan shook his head. "He didn't come after me and those closest to me until your father transformed after his first kill and he knew for sure that Klaus wasn't his. But once your grandmother told me she had to end things and go back to Mikael…that took a lot out of me."

"I bet it did," Adrian replied. "Helene's got a warlock boyfriend now and I think that's best for her. We agreed to be friends, though."

"Good," Ronan said. "Cause I think on some level you need her, even if she doesn't work as your wife, just like your father and that Amy he likes so much. Have they been found, by the way, since they disappeared?"

"No," Adrian shook his head. "But they'll probably get back eventually. Alistair's really good with time travel stuff, so I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"Good," Ronan nodded. "When Klaus returns, I want to know."

"You will," Adrian assured him. "I promise."

* * *

"Are things tough at the council now that there's no one to lead it, really?" Christine asked Mary as the two of them watched their kids play. "If you and Liam are having trouble getting by, I'd be more than happy to help."

"Thank you, but I think we'll be fine," Mary told her, pulling some fuzzies off her blue sweater. "I mean, no one's said anything about anyone being fired. At least not in the near future, anyway. I think we'll be all right. And Sean's already told me that if it comes down to it, we can move in with him. Not looking forward to that, though. The guy misses Eva but won't admit it."

"All right," Christine nodded. "But if you need anything, you just let me know, all right?"

"All right," Mary told her. "Thank you."

Then the doorbell rang again. It was Victoria. Mary pushed her red hair out of her eyes and let Victoria in and after they chatted, she sat Finn down on the blanket next to Sarah, and Mary watched in horror as Junior watched him get close to Sarah, grab his arm, and bite him.

"No, no!" She said, scooping him up. "We don't do that!" She told her son. "We don't bite people. That's bad!" She was blushing when she looked over at Victoria, who was trying to calm Finn.

"Sorry about that," she said. "I don't know why it creates such a problem to put him and Finn in the same space."

Victoria sighed. "It's not his fault," she said. "He's little and it's not like Finny won't heal."

They then looked at Sarah, who was frowning and stuck her tongue out at Junior before getting closer to Finn.

"I think you're in trouble," Mary told her son. "This is why you have to be nice to people."

It was at that moment that the door opened and Liam called out to Mary. "I saw cars in the driveway. "Do you have friends over?"

"Victoria and Sarah are here with their kids," Mary called back. "Did you come home for lunch?"

"Yeah," Liam pushed his blond hair out of his eyes. "I had to get out of the office for a little bit. The place has been a madhouse since Mom stepped down." He sat down on the sofa and an eager Junior reached for his father.

"How's Sean behaving himself today?" Liam asked Mary.

"Well, he's _misbehaving_ if I'm gonna be totally honest," Mary replied. "Picking fights with Finn and everything."

"Remember we said last time that you weren't gonna do that anymore," Liam told his son firmly. "Maybe I should go put you in your room." He did just that and soon an angry wail echoed from the direction of Junior's room.

"Oh, dear," Mary sighed. "Here we go again."

"I don't mean to cause such trouble," Victoria replied.

"Don't you feel bad," Mary told her. "Junior's bad behavior is not your fault and spending time in his room is a good lesson for him no matter how much he hates it."

When it was just Finn and Sarah playing, things were much calmer. They shared toys and finally fell asleep next to one another on the blanket.

"Well, it looks like these two need to go home," Victoria said to Mary. "Do you want to do same time next week?"

"Sure," Mary nodded and I promise that Junior will be better behaved." She paused. "Maybe if you brought Molly, he would be distracted and not pick fights with Finn. I know you had trouble with Molly recently. Is she well enough to travel?"

"Yes, she is," Victoria smiled. "And that's a wonderful suggestion. I don't know why I didn't think of it before."

* * *

"Well," Kai said as Victoria brought Finn back. "Finny is asleep. Can I assume that the visit with Mary and Christine went well and he had a good time?"

"He and Sarah got along splendidly as usual," Victoria explained. "But I think Junior sees him as a threat or something because every time he sees him, he bites him, or pulls his hair, or steals his toys…Mary's tried to cure him of the habit, but so far, nothing has worked. Finny takes it remarkably in stride, though."

"Of course he takes it like a champ!" Kai said, looking at his son fondly as he took him and went to put him to bed. "Can't be related to me without shaking a few feathers, can he?"

"That's true," Victoria acknowledged. "But unlike you, Finny's never done anything wrong. He's just a baby."

"But in any case," Kai said, "not even a year old yet and he's already got himself an enemy. That must be some sort of record."

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "One I wish he didn't have."

"So does that mean no more play group for him then?" Kai wanted to know.

"Oh, no," Victoria shook her head. "I'm gonna bring Molly next time to see if that will make Junior not be so possessive of Sarah and let Finny have some time to play with his friend without being in danger. Could you and Adrian spare her for a few hours?"

"I know I could," Kai nodded. "But Adrian might not let me."

"Oh, I'm sure he could spare her for a few hours," Victoria replied. "Let him know ahead of time and let him prepare for it. That would be nice."

"I'll give it a shot," Kai said. "But I can't promise anything."

"Thank you," Victoria said, coming over to put her arms around him and kiss him. "I think it will be good for Molly in the end if we at least try to get her some friends. And I also want to thank you for how you handled the…the burial, and everything. I wouldn't have been able to get through that without you."

"It's not a problem," Kai told her truthfully and squeezed her tight as his breath ruffled her hair. "You do so much that it was about time I stepped up."

Victoria smiled. "Yeah. You did well." She paused. "Finny's in bed. Is Molly otherwise occupied?"

"Yes," Kai nodded. "She's with your mom. What do you have in mind?"

Victoria zapped herself into just her white lace bra and panties and grabbed Kai's hand. "Well, you'll just have to see, won't you?"

"No playroom this time?" Kai asked.

"No," Victoria shook her head, pulling him along after her to the bedroom where they clambered onto the bed, stripped each other naked, and then she straddled him as he buried himself inside her and she sank her fangs into his neck, sucking his blood greedily until he told her to stop and then she lay down beside him.

"Are you all right?" She asked, giving him a kiss.

"Yeah, fine," he replied. "Just got a little overwhelmed there. How long do you think we have until Finn wakes up?"

"Not long," Victoria guessed before his lips touched hers and they threw the blankets over themselves until Finn woke up, and they had to put on bathrobes and go tend to him."

* * *

"How was signing the final divorce papers?" Malachai asked. He looked at the yoga show Helene had put on. "Not very relaxing, from the looks of this."

"Oh, it's fine," Helene said and got into the downward facing dog pose. "I thought I would just try out a little yoga for something to do." She then let out a little cry as Malachai gave her a light spank.

"If you're trying to tell me something, you're gonna have to wait!" Helene told him as she looked at him upside down between her legs. "I want to get this show done first."

By the time it was over, she was lying on her back and working on her breathing. It was then that Malachai got down on his knees beside her on the floor and leaned down to kiss her before bringing her up to a sitting position and pulling her close to himself as his lips touched hers again and his hands roamed over her body in gentle massaging motions.

"You like that?" He whispered in her ear when the kiss ended.

"Yeah, I do," Helene nodded. "Nice to see you know how to occupy your time when Sarah's not here and Percy's gone out."

"Of course I know how to occupy my time," Malachai told her. "I'm not a monk, you know."

"You'll have to be for a bit though," Helene told him. "If you're interested in me that way. Since I just got done with the divorce and all, I want to wait a bit before I'm intimate with someone again."

"Of course," Malachai nodded. "I completely understand."

Helene smiled and pinned him to the floor. "But that doesn't mean you'll go completely without, though." She pulled off his shirt and ran her hands over his chest, then unzipped his pants.

Just looking at her wicked eyes made him need to calm himself down, especially when she winked at him.

"Oh my goodness, you're a terrible tease," he panted. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Maybe," Helene smiled and stroked him, glad that Percy had gone out with some friends and wasn't around. "But what a way to die, don't you think?"

"Yes," Malachai nodded as it hit him once again just how badly he wanted this woman.


	14. Stopping Things From Slipping Away

"What's in that box?" Malachai asked as he saw Helene come in the house with a box in hand.

"Oh, it's just…just some pictures," Helene told him. "You know, of me and my parents. I probably should have asked you before I brought them over. Is it okay if I put some pictures up?"

"Of course," Malachai nodded. "You live here, don't you?" He sighed. "I wish I had pictures and stuff to put up, but I don't have much in the way of family that I get to see all the time." He paused and gave her a look. "At least not yet, anyway."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Helene told him confidently. "And I hope you want to have more than one kid," she said. "Cause I refuse to do the 'only child' thing. I refuse." Then she took out several of the photos and her face changed, a soft swear escaping her lips.

"What's the matter?" Malachai asked.

"My pictures are faded," she said. "I don't know how that happened? They aren't anywhere near sunlight normally!"

"Oh, that's unfortunate," Malachai told her. "But I see no reason to worry as much as you are." He put a supportive hand on her shoulder and then her body tensed.

"What?" Malachai asked. "Helene, what's wrong?"

"It's my parents!" She cried. "That's why this is happening. They've gone back in time and now things are beginning to change."

"Well, that's not good," Malachai told her.

"I know," Helene agreed. "I need someone who can help me fix this and I need them now!" Before Malachai could say anything else, she grabbed her coat and took off, not saying anything more to him such as where she was going or what time she would be back.

* * *

"We need to do something to get Mom and Dad back now!" Helene cried as she stormed into Roxie's.

"Why?" Roxie asked. "What's the rush?"

"My pictures are fading!" Helene cried, waving one under Roxie's nose.

"Why does that matter?" She asked.

"Well, I thought it was just weird natural picture trouble," Helene said. "But then I realized that it could be because Mom and Dad are changing time!"

"How would they be changing time?" Roxie asked.

"Maybe they aren't together anymore or something," Helene got out. "Who knows? If this keeps up, you know what will happen?"

"What?" Roxie asked.

"I'll lose my memory, and then I'll disappear for good!" Helene cried hysterically and stole the drink Roxie was pouring even though it wasn't hers. When it was done, she said, "give me another. I need more."

"I don't know," Roxie said, eying her skeptically. "I don't see how you getting drunk is going to solve any of this."

"I never said it was!" Helene cried. "Can't I just have drinks like everyone else in this place? I bet you don't lecture them when _they_ order!"

"Well, that's because when other people order, it's not because they're stress drinking," Roxie told her. "I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Thanks," Helene told her dryly. "But I don't think I need that. Now, pour!"

Roxie sighed and poured Helene one more drink, then, when she was done with it, urged her to go home, or at least among people who could actually help her with her problem, as no one in the werewolf bar could.

* * *

"Well, that was quick," Malachai remarked when she returned home. "Feeling any better?"

Helene didn't answer him and just kept going through her pictures. Just as she thought, every one that had her parents in it was fading.

"I've got to do something about this," she said, shaking her head and trying to keep her breathing steady. "I have to. Daddy has to know that what he and Mom are doing is starting to change history!"

"And how do you do that?" Malachai asked. "You're not going to go back yourself, are you?"

"No," Helene shook her head. "That would probably make things even worse if I did. No, I'll just stay here and see if I can't send Daddy a note." She scoffed. "Not that I'll know for sure whether or not he has it, but it doesn't hurt to hope, does it?" She grabbed some paper and quickly wrote: _Time is starting to change. What the hell is going on, Daddy?_ Then folded the paper, pictured it getting to her father, wherever he was, and once it disappeared, hoping with all her might that it actually got there.

Afterward, she went and sat next to Malachai who was reclining on the sofa and laid her head on his chest. "Sorry about this," she apologized. "And for what happened after my yoga the other day. We barely know each other. I don't mean to be so forward. Usually that's not in my nature."

Malachai chuckled at the last sentence because he'd actually been thinking about apologizing to her for that too. "I didn't mind it," he said at last. "I mean, some people would think it strange that we barely know each other, yet here we are, living together while you help me raise my daughter."

"Yeah, you know, I never thought of it that way," Helene replied. "Maybe we should go have coffee and talk about stuff or something. It would keep my mind off my current situation."

"Well, I'm for anything that does that," Malachai smiled. "Let's go!"

* * *

"So…where to start?" Helene asked as she and Malachai sat across from each other at a tiny table in a coffee shop with coffee cups in hand. "I know that you enjoy being a parent and like children. I don't think you would have fought for Sarah if you didn't."

"Oh, yes, I love children," Malachai nodded. "Kai and I were very close while he was growing up. Since Edele hated him, he needed _someone_. I did as much as I could do when I wasn't traveling."

Helene smiled. "That's really nice," she said. "What else do I need to know about you?"

"Well," Malachai replied, bringing up a rose to hand to her. "I like reading, cooking, and long walks on the beach."

"You do?" Helene chuckled. "Or are you just giving me a line?"

"No, I really do," Malachai told her. "Do you? It's been awhile since I've had time to go to the beach. I'd like to go."

"I'd like that too," Helene said as she took a sip of coffee. "I'm kind of dull, just to warn you. Only child. Parents both worked a lot. The guy I just divorced was one of the few friends I had growing up. Dad had a full time job watching Adrian's father and making sure he didn't get into trouble. In fact, that's probably what he's doing in the past now. He makes his money's worth doing that."

"What else?" Malachai asked. "What else do you like?"

"Reading, occasions to dress up, and I don't know what else," Helene shrugged. "I spent so much time running Adrian's life that I didn't really have time to think about what I wanted to do besides have a family. I didn't give myself a lot of free time to figure that sort of stuff out."

"That's fine," Malachai replied and kissed her hand. "Since I have the same sort of problem, we can figure it out together, can't we?"

"Sure," Helene nodded. "I think I'd like that."

* * *

"So did you behave yourself when your mother took you to play group?" Kai asked Molly as they sat at the table eating potato chips.

"She was surprisingly well-behaved," Victoria nodded. "And don't give her those. She can't eat them yet."

"I don't see a problem with her having these," Kai said and handed Molly a barbecue chip. She put it in her mouth and made a face, drooling all over her father's hand.

"Well, it seems she doesn't like barbecue much," he said as Victoria went to get a napkin. "Finny does, but she doesn't. How strange."

"Just because they're twins doesn't mean she likes the same things he does," Victoria said and handed him the towel. "And you've been giving Finny chips too?" She paused. "Well, I guess as long as it doesn't hurt them, it's fine. And I know you wouldn't intentionally give them anything that you know would hurt them."

"Especially not Molly, after all the trouble we just went through for her," Kai agreed. He stood up, taking Molly and the chip bag into the kitchen, and then brought her into the living room, setting her down on the blanket next to her toys and chuckling at her expression as he made her toys float.

"See how easy it is to amuse her?" He asked, looking at Victoria.

"Yeah," Victoria smiled. "It's a shame it won't always be that way." She went and got Finn and said, "We're gonna play a game, all right?" She put Finn's favorite ball down on the floor and then put a blanket over it, covering it up completely.

"Okay, Finny, where's the ball?" She asked him. "Is it missing?"

But an action that would have resulted in tears and confusion just a month before brought a different reaction now. Instead of crying, Finn indicated that he wanted to be put on the floor, and when Victoria did that, he moved the blanket aside and picked up the ball, while smiling a smile that showed the few teeth he had.

"You did it!" Victoria smiled and clapped. "I'm so proud of you!" She hugged him and then tested the same thing out on Molly.

But instead of doing what Victoria wanted, once the ball was covered up by the blanket, Molly just headed back to Kai. "Seriously?" Victoria huffed. "I know she knows it's there. She's just trying to frustrate me."

"Or she knows that you're trying to make her perform and she knows she's a girl and not a show pony," Kai told her. "That has to be it." But when he covered his eyes, Molly reached up and tried to pull one of his hands away.

"There," Kai told her. "See, they're at the same spot. She just doesn't like your methods."

"Figures," Victoria sighed. "It's comforting, I guess, to know that at least one thing didn't change when she got a new body."


	15. The Power Parade

"It's been awhile since you've come to visit," Victoria told Malachai when he brought Helene over to see them. "So nice to see you back." She looked at her daughter who was reaching greedily from her high chair. "Evidently, Molly agrees."

"Well, good," Malachai said and picked her up to give her a kiss. "I missed you too." He turned her to face Helene. "This is my friend, Helene. Can you say 'Hi' to her? And be nice. Treat her nicer than you treat your mother."

"What?" Helene asked. "Should I be worried?"

"No," Victoria shook her head. "She's not dangerous or anything. She's just got an annoyingly strong will."

"Ah," Helene nodded. "All right." She cautiously reached out and took Molly, who was not as cuddly as Sarah, gave her a brief hug, and then handed her back to Malachai before something could go wrong.

"What a nice child," she said.

"Oh, be honest," Kai told her. "You don't have to lie. You're scared of her. There's no shame in that."

"Of course I'm not scared of her!" Helene cried. "I wouldn't be scared of a _baby!_ "

"That's your own fault then," Kai chuckled.

"Anyway," Malachai interrupted when he saw that Helene was beginning to get nervous. "How have you two been? Looks like Molly's adjusted to her new body. Is everything about her the same? Will she still be all she was before the change?"

"Yeah, of course," Kai nodded. "I made sure of that."

To help combat Helene's obvious discomfort about Molly, Victoria gave her Finn to play with.

"Does _he_ make you feel more at ease?" She wanted to know.

"Yes," Helene admitted. "He does." She paused. "You know, it's a funny thing, Victoria. One of the reasons why Adrian and I split up was because he was always terrified of being overpowered by our children and I thought he was being ridiculous. But now I'm starting to realize what he felt. I'll have to call him and tell him. I'm sure he'll be thrilled."

Though Molly hadn't been receptive to Helene at first, it was not a surprise to her mother that when she noticed her brother getting a bunch of attention that she _wasn't_ getting, she did her best to come over and get Finn out of the way.

"Oh, so you like me now, huh?" Helene asked as Molly tried to climb on her lap.

"No, she doesn't really like you," Kai told her. "She just likes attention."

"I wonder where she gets that from?" Victoria asked sarcastically.

"Yes, we've already been over that," Kai told her with a roll of his eyes. "Her attention grabbing ways are entirely my fault."

"Of course they are," Victoria replied. "Cause I certainly don't act like that."

"Yes," Kai nodded. "Despite being an only child too, you've never had one selfish moment in your entire life."

"I never said that," Victoria corrected. "I just meant that I grew out of it and I hope Molly will too."

"Helene and I are living together now," Malachai blurted out to stop them from fighting. "Permanently."

"You are?" Kai told Helene. "I mean, when you were just stopping by, that was one thing, but he told you everything and you still agreed be with-" He was cut off when Malachai zapped him with a silencing spell.

"Never mind," he mouthed.

"Well, we're very happy that you've finally found someone," Victoria told him.

"Aren't you sweet?" Malachai smiled. "I'm glad _one_ person is happy that I'm happy." He paused. "And we came here because we might possibly have to ask you for another favor."

"You do?" Kai asked when his uncle gave him his voice back. "What's that?"

"Well, Helene's having a bit of an issue," Malachai replied. "Her parents have gone back in time and evidently, history is beginning to change, which means that eventually she'll lose her memory if it's not fixed. If things come to that, would you mind watching Sarah until I get that under control? Or would it be dangerous to leave another child with your children?"

"Not Sarah," Victoria assured her. "Christine brings her here for play group sometimes and Finn really gets along well with her."

"But what about Molly?" Helene asked, looking at the top of the baby's dark head. "Do we have to worry about Molly?"

"Well, Molly doesn't like many people," Kai told her. "You've probably figured that out. But she's much too young to be an actual danger to anyone just yet."

"Good," Helene nodded and let out a breath.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your parents," Victoria told her. "First the problems with the Council and now this."

"I'm not too torn up about being fired from the Council," Helene said. "That was more my mother's thing than mine."

"Still, though," Victoria told her. "I think it's a terrible shame."

"Yeah," Helene scoffed. "What am I supposed to tell her when she comes back and wants to know how work's gone in her time of absence?"

"Well, she's run into trouble before," Victoria reasoned. "I'm sure she'll understand."

"Hey, can we do something other than talking about work?" Kai asked. "I'm starting to feel really dragged down. Who wants a drink?"

Everyone agreed to this and even Molly raised her little hand.

"No," he said, smiling at her as he took her from Helene. "No drinks for you. You're too little."

"You give her a bunch of other stuff so she probably thought this was no different," Victoria replied. "Not a criticism, just an observation."

They all sat at the table, drinking their drinks and shooting the breeze as Finn and Molly watched from their high chairs, babbling as if they were part of the conversation too.

Despite Kai telling Molly that she couldn't have a drink, the colorful liquid in his glass attracted her attention (he was drinking something made with blue curacao in it), so soon the glass was up in the air and flying toward her, but instead of landing on her tray, it missed and hit the wall, shattering and sending alcohol spilling all over the floor.

"Oh, damn," Kai said, getting up. "No one else worry. I'll clean this up."

While he did that, Victoria picked Molly up and took the protesting baby to her room, tucking her into bed and shutting the bedroom door behind her.

"Everyone all right?" She asked. "Anyone get hit by flying glass?"

"No, I'm good," Helene assured her.

"Me too," Malachai added.

Helene, having learned some nursing skills from her mother, went to look at Finn. "I don't think he was hit by anything either," she assured Victoria. "He looks fine to me."

"Thank goodness," Victoria sighed.

"How's Finn doing with his powers?" Helene asked. "I mean, we know now that Molly can use hers, but what about him? I know that Edele disrupted the flow so his might be more sporadic."

"He's actually shyer about using his powers," Victoria told her. "We know he has them, but we hardly see them during the day."

"Yeah, but some of the things we come across when he wakes up in the morning…you wouldn't believe those," Kai replied. "Like, one morning we heard him screaming bloody murder, so we thought Mom was after him too, and we ran into his room and found that he'd turned one of the little dragons on his mobile into an actual dragon."

"Or what about the time he accidentally brought his furniture to life?" Victoria added. "It was like in _Beauty and the Beast,_ but horribly, horribly wrong." She shuddered.

"That seems like powerful stuff for someone who only had a fraction of his powers to begin with," Helene remarked.

This made Kai and Victoria give each other a long look before she said, "We got really lucky and he's at full power now. Such a fortunate thing."

"Yeah," Helene agreed. "I would think so. I'm really happy for you."

"Thank you," Victoria said. "That's really sweet of you to say." After that, she tried to keep the conversation on more neutral things so she wouldn't inadvertently blurt out just _how_ Finn was at full power cause that would lead to trouble that no one wanted.

And when Helene and Malachai had finally gone, she apologized to Kai. "I didn't mean to almost blurt stuff out about Finny. I don't want to cause trouble for us when things are actually at a good place now."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Kai told her. "I wasn't gonna scold you or anything. Besides, Helene doesn't work at the Council anymore, and no one there really likes her, so even if you _had_ said something about how Finny had gotten his powers, what difference would it have made?"

"I just don't want you to go to jail again," Victoria said and put a hand on his back. "That's all. You don't want that either, do you?"

"No, who does?" Kai said. "But when it comes to being locked up, I'm a Houdini. They can't keep me contained long."

"True," Victoria replied. "You really are a tricky one, Malachai."

Kai smiled, pulled her to him, and gave her a kiss. "You got it, Vicky."

* * *

Just like she told herself she would, when she and Malachai arrived home, Helene called Adrian to tell her about her visit with Molly and just how nervous the little girl made her.

"Well, look at you, calling me so soon after our divorce," Adrian replied jovially. "You're not wanting ot get married again, are you?"

"No," Helene replied. "I'm calling to apologize, actually."

"Apologize?" Adrian asked. "For what?"

"For all the times I saw you be nervous around our kids and thought you were ridiculous because of it," Helene told him. "Now I see that was somewhat unjustified."

"Is it?" Adrian told her, his voice full of interest. "What brought on this change of heart? What scary witch baby frightened you?"

"Malachai brought me over to see Kai and Victoria and I met Finn and Molly officially," Helene told him. "And Molly…I don't think she likes me all that much. I had this terrible idea that she would hurt me if I held onto her for too long."

"Molly?" Adrian asked, trying not to laugh at the irony. "Of all the small witch and warlock children you've ever met, you're afraid of _Molly_?"

"Yes," Helene said. "Doesn't she frighten you too? Or didn't she? I know you and she are getting along well now."

"Not at all," Adrian replied. "We love each other."

"Well, that's very fortunate," Helene said. "It's nice to know that when I saw you and she the other day, it wasn't just some show for my benefit."

"As you've pointed out before with Lenora, I wasn't always bad with children," Adrian reminded her. "But don't be too bothered by Molly. She doesn't like a lot of people."

"I know," Helene said. "Kai told me. Or Victoria. One of them did." She sighed. "Well, you probably have better things to do with your time than listen to your ex-wife yammer on, so I'm going to say goodbye now."

"All right, goodbye," Adrian told her. "It was nice to hear from you." He was just about to hang up when she said, "Wait a minute. Are you having any problems with your photos or memory or anything like that?"

"No," Adrian said. "Why?"

"Cause apparently, my parents have done something that's changing time," Helene said. "And since your father is back with them, I thought you'd be affected. I'm glad that's not the case."

"Yeah," Adrian nodded. "Me too. I'm glad my mom's not Amy. The girls are the ones who are gonna be experiencing some real trouble."

"So true," Helene told him. "I hope it's nothing too bad though. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess."

"I suppose you will," Adrian nodded. "Good luck."

"Yeah," Helene sighed. "I'm going to need it. And they are too, I'm guessing."


	16. The Kids Are Taking Over

"Look who's back!" Malachai crowed as he came into the house holding Sarah.

"Wonderful!" Helene smiled. "I hope you weren't mean to Matthew. I wondered if maybe I shouldn't have sent you over alone to get her.

"He didn't come alone," Percy said, coming in. "I came with him."

"Where in the world did you come from?" Helene asked in amazement."

"I stopped by his house, asked if he wanted to come on trip with me, and he said 'Yes'," Malachai explained. "It's not like I kidnapped him or he ran away or anything like that."

"And Sarah's father seemed much more at ease with me being there," Percy added. "So I guess it was good that I came."

"Yes," Helene nodded. "I believe it was." She paused. "But if things went well at Matthew and Christine's, what took you so long to get here? You left and then you didn't come back for two hours!"

"Well," Malachai and Percy gave each other embarrassed looks and then Percy got out, "After we left Christine and Matthew's we…we sort of got in an accident."

Helene's eyes widened and she held Sarah close. "How could you get in an accident? Was Sarah hurt? You really have to learn to be more responsible, Malachai! How would you have explained her being dead or hurt to her parents?"

"Don't blame me!" Malachai defended himself. "After it happened, Percy and I talked about it and we decided that it was Sarah's fault."

"Oh, that is really mature," Helene scoffed. "Blaming a baby for your own mistake! You're just lucky she didn't get hurt."

Percy handed her his phone that was tuned up to play a video. "Here's what I recorded when it started happening because I knew you wouldn't believe us otherwise."

The recording showed Malachai's hands on the wheel, but they definitely weren't moving in a way that seemed natural. Then, the camera picture showed Sarah, whose face was screwed up and looking like she was deeply concentrating. The engine revved up and then everything went dark as Helene heard a crash, a swear from Malachai, and a cry from baby Sarah.

"Did you really crash Malachai's car?" Helene asked, eying Sarah firmly. "That's not a nice thing to do. You or they could have been very hurt!"

Sarah's lip jutted out then and she started to cry.

"There you go," Malachai replied. "I think she feels sufficiently shamed.

"Well, this is a crazy start to the week," Helene told him as she tried to calm Sarah down. "Now be honest: are you hurt anywhere? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"I hit my head," Percy confessed. "But I feel fine."

"Even so," Helene insisted, "We should probably get you checked out." She looked at Malachai. "I know I don't need to ask if you'll be all right watching Sarah alone, do I?"

"Are you concerned about what more she can do to me?" Malachai asked. "Knock on wood, but what more can she do now that she's already gotten me in a car accident for who knows what reason? Maybe I was driving too slowly."

"Is the car driveable?" Helene asked. "Or did you take a taxi back?"

"No, it's drivable," Malachai assured her. "I fixed it where it crashed."

"Good," Helene told him and gave him Sarah back. "Depending on if anything's wrong with Percy, we should be back soon."

They headed out and Malachai took Sarah to the living room to sit down on the sofa. "What did you have to go and make us have an accident for, huh?" He asked her. "You wouldn't do that to your other Daddy, would you?"

Sarah just buried her head in his shoulder and he sighed. "Oh, sure," he said. "Way to play innocent now. I think we need to have a little quiet time, don't you?"

When he felt Sarah's head resting against his chest, he shut his eyes and didn't wake up again until he heard his nephew's voice.

"Did you know that Sarah is on top of the refrigerator?" Kai asked. "Sneaky little girl. Maybe being around you, Percy, and Helene is making her go on a bit of a power trip."

Malachai's eyes widened and he sat up. "You saw her balanced precariously on top of the refrigerator and you just _left_ her there?" He asked, standing up and running. "Why didn't you get her down?"

"How was I supposed to do that?" Kai asked, shifting Finn in his arms a little. "Put Finny down and scale the refrigerator door?"

"Well, that's better than nothing!" Malachai replied. They stood and stared up at Sarah, who was just smiling down at them serenely while Finn pointed up at her and made babbling noises.

"Yes, Finny, we see her," Kai assured him. "Now we just need to figure out what to do about her."

But they weren't given time. Suddenly she pitched forward and went speeding toward the floor. Malachai caught her and then held her close to himself. "Don't you do that again!" He scolded. "Not in front of me, and _definitely_ not in front of your other parents. I think seeing you like that would kill them, especially your father."

"But you have to give her props for being an eager explorer though," Kai said.

"I would if she hadn't made Percy and me have a car accident a little while ago," Malachai said wearily. "I don't know why she's suddenly being so ornery with her magic. She wasn't like that before. And if it _is_ because of all the time she spends here…I don't know how I feel about that."

"Well, wasn't the whole point of this set up to give Sarah a safe place to get in touch with her powers?" Kai wanted to know as he opened the refrigerator Sarah had just fallen off of and took out some leftover pizza, taking a nibble and then letting Finn have a bite. They went back and forth in this way until the pizza was gone and then Malachai happily let Sarah play with Finn in the hopes that it would distract her from doing any more magical shenanigans that would put stress on his heart.

* * *

That peace stayed until Helene and Percy returned home from the hospital, and then the worry came back as he stood up and approached them. "So what's the verdict? Nothing too bad, I hope?"

"Nope, he got lucky," Helene said. "I thought for sure they were going to say he had a concussion. Anything exciting happen while we were gone?"

Kai chuckled. "Uncle Malachai fell asleep, Sarah got away from him, and ended up on top of the refrigerator."

"Oh, my god!" Helene cried. "Am I going to have to take her to the hospital too?"

"No, you don't have to worry about that," Malachai assured her and gave her a kiss. "We caught her before anything actually happened."

"Good," Helene said. "You know, I've had three kids in my life and I don't recall the ones I raised making me as jittery as Sarah is right now."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Kai told her. "I promise that I won't let it slip to Adrian."

"Oh, you can tell him if you want," Helene said. "I already told him how Molly freaks me out. He got a laugh in at my expense, which I believe I deserve, but other than that, he took it like an adult." She looked at him. "Speaking of our significant others, what's Victoria up to? Did you leave her alone with Molly?"

"No," Kai shook his head. "That would be the dumbest decision ever. Molly's with Adrian and Victoria…well, I think she finally decided that she's gonna try and make things up with Eva since she and I are at a good place now."

"Eva?" Malachai's eyebrows knitted together. "Oh, yes. Her pretty blonde friend that you so unwisely took to bed with you. And who's Sean's girlfriend on top of all that."

"Yes, I know, I'm full of shame, but we're past that," Kai told him impatiently.

"I just hope they can make up," Malachai told him.

"Yeah," Kai agreed. "Me too."

* * *

"So we're fine now?" Eva asked as she and Victoria finished talking. "You forgive me?"

Victoria sighed. "Since Kai and I have made peace, I suppose forgiving you would be the grown-up thing to do," she said. "I forgive you and I think we should never talk about what happened again."

"Agreed," Eva nodded. "Not another word."

"What about you and Sean?" Victoria asked. "Any hope of reconciliation on that front?"

"I don't know," Eva shrugged. "I haven't even tried, but I bet the answer would be 'No' if I did." She groaned. "You're not gonna try and have me make peace with him, are you? If we go to his house, I bare my soul, and then he rejects me, I'm going to feel like the world's biggest moron."

"I'm not gonna force you to make peace with him," Victoria assured her. "You should do it when you're ready."

"Yeah," Eva nodded. "Thanks. How's Christine? She still having that court fight with Malachai?"

"No, they agreed on joint custody," Victoria said. "Christine was fine with it, but Matthew still has a way to go to get to that point, I think."

There was a knock at the door and then a loud voice shouted, "Eva Michelle, let us in!"

"Oh, shit!" Eva swore. "I forgot that Grandpa Mikael and Grandma Gwen were going to come visit tonight!"

"You couldn't have mentioned that earlier?" Victoria asked. "Do you _know_ how long it's been since they've seen either of the twins? They're going to kill me!" She paused. "Where can I hide?"

"In my bedroom!" Eva whispered. "Quick."

Then she opened the door and Gwen and Mikael strode in. "What took you so long to answer the door?" Gwen asked.

"I was far away from it and didn't hear you knock," Eva explained quickly. "Now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I understand that you and Victoria are having some sort of ridiculous feud over that criminal boy that she's married to," Gwen told her. "But I want it ended now. Do I make myself clear? Do you realize how long it's been since I've seen those children of hers? I've probably missed out on everything good."

"What you missed out on is a possession, a murder, getting Molly a new body, and Finny getting the powers of some other poor man because his weren't strong enough on their own," Victoria told her grandmother after deciding that she could do better than hide from her grandparents. "Nothing exciting, really."

"Are you kidding me?" Gwen asked and came to hug her. "How ever did you get through all of that by yourself?"

"Kai," Victoria told her. "He's more than just 'that criminal boy'."

"Who got the new body?" Gwen asked. "I thought from the first that something like that would have to be done for Finn. He was such a small boy."

"It wasn't Finn," Victoria assured her. "It was Molly. Apparently, Kai's mother had an interest in her from the Great Beyond that didn't end so well."

"That woman!" Gwen growled. "If I could just get my hands on her, I'd-"

"You can't, Gwendolyn," Mikael told her and then ushered her over to the sofa. "So calm down. No sense in getting yourself all wound up over nothing. Finn is fine and Molly is as bellicose as ever."

"How in the world do you know all of this and I don't?" Gwen asked.

"You remember that I see Regina on a daily basis," Mikael reminded her. "She tells me these things."

"And you don't see fit to share that information with me?" Gwen sighed. "Oh, of course you don't."

"Well, you have legs and a mouth, don't you?" Mikael wanted to know as he ran a hand over her thigh. "If you wanted to know what was going on with Victoria, nothing was stopping you from asking someone."

"I suppose," Gwen told him, one side of her mouth curling up as she slapped his hand away. She quickly turned away from him and looked at Victoria. "So…where are they? Can I see them now?"

"The twins?" Victoria asked. "I'm afraid you can't right now. Kai has Finny and Molly is with Adrian."

Mikael scoffed. "Why would you _do_ that? Why would you leave Molly in the care of that fool boy?"

"There's nothing wrong with leaving Molly with Adrian," Victoria defended herself. "He's teaching her nice, useful things…I hope."

* * *

"Okay Miss Molly," Adrian said as he put her on the floor and lined up a bunch of drink containers in front of her. "I've never been comfortable around little kids with magic, but I realized that it's only because I haven't taken an active part in the magic training process. How can I do that, you ask?" He picked up a beer bottle and held it up close to her face.

"This is beer. I like this." He put it down and backed away a little bit. "Can you give it to me?"

Molly looked at him for a moment and he thought she wasn't going to do what he asked, but then the beer bottle slowly rose up from the floor and Adrian smiled.

"That's it…" he encouraged and held out his hand. "That's it, good girl."

But then it began to pick up speed as it rose and hit him in the face.

"Ow," he said, putting a hand to his eye. "All right. That was an okay first try. You're new at this. We can work on it more." As he lowered his hand from his eye, he saw that Molly was crawling into his lap.

"It's okay," he told her as he put his arms around her. "I'm sure you didn't _mean_ to hit me in the eye." He paused. "Or at least I hope not."

Then, evidently, Molly decided to try again as Rusty came into the room. The little white dog flew into the air with a surprised yelp.

"No!" Adrian cried. He grabbed Rusty in midair and sat down with him.

"Don't you do that anymore," he told Molly. "Why don't you say you're sorry to Rusty?"

Molly was hesitant to approach the dog at first, but then she reached out and placed a little palm on his white fur.

"Good," Adrian said, glad that Rusty wasn't a typical dog or Molly would be lacking one hand. "Good girl. Let's not practice magic anymore, okay? I'll get my beer myself and then you and I can watch football. Yeah, that's a good plan. Just a nice, quiet night is what we need now until your mother comes and picks you up."


	17. Facing What You've Been Avoiding

"You know, I don't understand Helene at all," Matthew told Christine as they took Sarah back for a little visit after all she'd put Helene and Malachai through. "I mean, it was sweet of her to mention what Sarah did with her magic, but I don't see anything happening. Maybe she just made it all up."

"I don't think she did," Christine said. "She doesn't seem like the type." She hugged her daughter. "Maybe Sarah knows that if she shows us too much magic, we'll have trouble with it and she doesn't want to worry us."

"Well, that's sweet of her," Matthew replied. "I mean, it isn't as if I'm scared of her powers, but it just worries me that if something bad happened as a result of her powers, I wouldn't be able to help her."

"Yes," Christine nodded. "I know." She then gasped as Sarah's teddy bear rose up, floated in the air for a few seconds, and then fell down.

"Were you showing off for me?" Christine asked her daughter, wondering if it was right for her to be able to control her powers so soon. "Good job."

"I think we should take her outside," Matthew said. "Get her some fresh air. I doubt she gets much of that at Malachai's."

"All right," Christine nodded and stood up. "Let's go then. Are we gonna go horse-riding?"

"No, I don't think so," Matthew shook his head. "I don't want the horses to get spooked and have something bad happen to one of us. Let's do something else instead. Go on a hike? Have a picnic? Take the dogs for a walk?"

"Yeah," Christine smiled as she looked at Jack and Zeke with pity. "Let's take the poor dogs for a walk."

They did and for something a little different, they attached the dogs' leashes to a wagon that Sarah was sitting in and they pulled her along after them while Christine and Matthew walked alongside.

"I think we did the right thing," Christine remarked as she watched her daughter. "It looks like Sarah's having the time of her life."

Matthew grabbed Christine's hand and kissed her before saying, "I'm not having such a bad time myself. It was nice of Helene to bring Sarah over to be with us again."

"But you know she'll have to go back to Malachai's house once he and Helene have recovered from what happened, don't you?" Christine told him. "The custody arrangement is still on."

"I know," Matthew sighed. "But for now, I can pretend like it isn't and that's good enough for me."

"It is, isn't it?" Christine told him.

He then went to help Sarah out of the wagon so she and the dogs could play for a bit, and then sat next to Christine on the bench of a nearby picnic table, resting his head on her shoulder. "I know I haven't been the best sport amidst all this, but…thank you for helping me through it."

"You're welcome," Christine told him. "Are you feeling any better about it now than you were when it first happened?"

"Yes," Matthew nodded. "What other choice do I have, really?"

"That's a good point," Christine agreed. "And it's not like Sarah was taken away forever. We still get to see her. And it really was the best thing for her if we're gonna be totally honest."

"Yeah, it is," Matthew reluctantly agreed, then ran over to stop Sarah from pulling on the dogs' tails. "No, you don't want to do that," he told her and picked her up. "That hurts them and we don't want to be mean to the dogs." He then took her back to the table and sat her down on his lap, her hand wrapped around his thumb as she engaged her mother in one-sided, mostly unintelligible conversation and he kept one eye on the dogs.

* * *

"So your grandparents are coming?" Kai told Victoria. "Kol?"

"No, Dad's Mom," Victoria shook her head. "She's pissed that it's been so long since we were able to let her see the twins so I had to invite her."

"Well, that's just _great_ ," Kai said. "Should I leave?"

"No," Victoria shook her head. "You're part of my life now and she has to deal with it."

"We won't have a very long married life if she kills me," Kai reminded her. "Are you _sure_ you want me around still?"

"Yes," Victoria nodded. "Just be your charming self and everything will be okay."

"I can do that," Kai assured her. "I'm always charming."

"And be polite too," Victoria continued. "She's not much different than your mom."

"Oh, I remember what she's like," Kai said. "Did you bring her to visit me when I was in jail?"

"I didn't so much bring her as she demanded to be brought when she found out that her twelve year old granddaughter had a job being in the company of a dangerous criminal and she wanted to make sure I was all right," Victoria corrected. "But she should know now that she has nothing to worry about. I'm much bigger than I used to be. And I'm perfectly capable of beating the crap out of you."

"Yes, we know that," Kai said. "But would you mind keeping that to yourself?"

"Fine," Victoria heaved a teasing sigh. "I guess I can."

"So, how long until they arrive?" Kai wanted to know. "How much time do I have to mentally prepare myself?"

"I figured we should get this over with as soon as possible," Victoria told him. "So they're coming tomorrow."

"Oh, my god!" Kai cried. "Tomorrow?"

"Yes," Victoria nodded. "Sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but once it's over, you won't have it hanging over your head. Look at it that way."

"Okay," Kai said. "I don't know if it'll work, but I'll try."

* * *

"It was so sweet of you to invite your grandmother to see the twins," Regina told Victoria as she and Declan met her about half an hour before Gwen and Mikael were scheduled to arrive. "I know she can be stressful to be around sometimes."

"Oh, I think I can handle it," Victoria assured her mother. "After Kai's mom, I can face anything."

"That's a good point," Declan replied. He then looked at Molly, who was pulling on the white lace collar of her dress. "Don't pull at that, dear," he told her and moved her hand. "You won't have to wear it very long, I promise."

Molly made an irritated noise, but then left the collar alone and Declan kissed her on the cheek.

"Does Finny really have to wear a suit?" Kai asked Victoria. "He looks like a little penguin and not in a good way."

"I want them to look presentable," Victoria told him. "It won't be forever."

They then took deep breaths and Declan went to answer the door and allow his mother entrance into Kai and Victoria's house.

"Don't they look adorable?" Gwen cried as she took Finn from Kai's arms but said nothing to Kai himself. "You made them look so nice, Victoria!"

"Yes, well, they hate being dressed this way so if you could make this visit short, they'd appreciate it," Kai told her.

Gwen gave him a look. "Why are you here? I thought you would have done us all a favor and found some other way to occupy your time."

"He offered," Victoria told her as they made their way to the living room. "But I told him that he could stay and you'd have to deal with it cause he's family."

"Exactly," Mikael agreed. "Come on, Gwendolyn. If _I_ can deal with being in a family with people I don't like, so can you."

"You call what you do 'dealing' with the fact that Selina is in our family?" Gwen told him disdainfully. "If you're so above me, why don't you go call Elijah and tell him you want to meet him and Selina for a nice dinner? And you can show me how to be in the same room as someone you dislike without saying one unkind word."

"Now, now," Mikael said. "Let's not make me do anything we'll both regret," Mikael told her.

"I knew you couldn't," Gwen chuckled. "You're just as bad tempered, tactless, and blunt as I am, so don't pretend otherwise."

Things lapsed into uncomfortable silence for a few minutes and then Declan quickly asked Gwen, "Have you heard much from Rebecca lately? How is she doing?"

"What with all the trouble going on at the Council, she and Eli thought it would be best to travel in Europe for a while," Gwen told him. Then she looked at Victoria. "Make sure you write Luke a note or something just to tell him how you are. He's very worried about you. Said he's tried to call lots of times over the years and he's never heard a thing from you."

"Oh, I don't think he has," Victoria told her. "I would have known and I've never heard a single-" She paused and then turned to face Kai. "Did you ever answer a phone call from my cousin Luke and not tell me about it?"

"He has," Gwen nodded. "That's why Luke is so worried. He remembered when Mr. Parker kidnapped him, tied him up, and tortured him just for speaking to you. That's not something you forget."

"I should probably give him a call then," Victoria replied, standing up. "Excuse me, everyone." She strode out of the room and then Kai gave Gwen a glare as she looked at him smugly and began to play with Molly.

"What is your problem?" He asked. "We just got over our last problem! Why do you hate me so much that you need to start problems where there aren't any?"

"You're all right not telling Victoria about calls from her cousin that she's close to just because you're insecure?" Gwen scoffed. "Some husband you are."

Kai then looked at Mikael. "Has she ever been jealous of a woman _you_ liked?" He asked.

"Yes," Mikael replied immediately. "Although it would be inaccurate to say that I _liked_ Claire, at least in a romantic way."

"You let her live with you!" Gwen cried impatiently. "What other ways can there be to explain your relationship?"

"She was just a nice girl who was good at fencing and needed a place to stay," Mikael told her. "That's it."

"Oh, sure," Gwen replied. "Like I would seriously believe you just let a human woman be, especially a nice looking one. She and her daughter look alike. I remember from when Robbie would bring Louisa around before he decided it wasn't worth the trouble anymore."

"Yes," Mikael nodded. "You keep up this pattern and none of your relatives will want to come visit you. You'll just be stuck with me." As Gwen's eyes widened, he chuckled. "I'm guessing you'll want to start making amends now, won't you?"

Declan had to hand it to Mikael for that skillful bit of maneuvering and even chuckled at her expense when Gwen wasn't looking. After taking a deep breath, she managed to look Kai in the eye and get out, "I-I apologize for anything I've said or done that has caused difficulties between you and Victoria. Despite how much I might wish otherwise, it won't happen again."

"Thank you," Kai told her. "That's very big of you."

Gwen shuddered then and zapped herself up a big drink.

"I'd down that quickly if I were you," Kai warned. "You don't want Molly to take it. And she has."

"Don't worry," Gwen said and drank it fast. "That won't happen."

By the time she finished drinking it, Victoria came back into the room. "Well, I got hold of Luke and told him I was all right," she announced. "He was really relieved to hear it. He acted like I'd come back from the dead or something."

"In a sense you have," Gwen replied and gave a burp. "Well," she said, putting a hand to her mouth. "I won't be drinking another one of those."

"Or if you'd like, I could take you home to do it," Mikael offered. "We don't want to expose these children to your overwhelming personality for too long."

"Not so fast," Gwen said, batting him away as he tried to take her arm and help her stand up. "I want to see them do some magic!"

"Mother, you know it's hard to make children do magic in a controlled way when they're this small," Declan reminded her.

Even so, Molly zapped her dress off and crawled away in her diaper at a quick pace, and while they were trying to catch her, Finn just watched and did nothing.

"So he has no powers," Gwen sighed. "It's to be expected after how he came into this world, I guess."

"He's more active at night," Regina told her. "We'll put a camera in his room and send you the tapes."

"Oh, do!" Gwen smiled as she finally allowed Mikael to push her toward the door. "I can't wait to see what he does!"


	18. Human Ways

"I'm back!" Victoria called to Kai after she'd gone out without specifically telling him where she was going. "Please tell me you haven't fed yet."

"No," Kai shook his head and came to meet her at the door. "Why?"

"Because I was thinking that it might be fun for us to go hunting," Victoria suggested. "Don't you think that would be fun?"

"Well, of course, but I don't know if it's the best idea in the world to let our guard down and go hunting when we have the twins to watch," Kai cautioned, feeling very parental all of a sudden.

"I knew you'd say that, and I thought about that too," Victoria told him with a smile. "And that's why I dropped the kids off with my grandparents after we went to the mall to get those new clothes I wanted them to have. Grandma Margot was more than happy to see them. And so was Grandpa Kol."

"All right then," Kai nodded. "Let's go!" He paused when she saw the bag in her hand. It had a pink and white checkered pattern on it and was from a store that sold lotions, body gels, and other stuff like that. "What's in there? I wanna know!" He cried and bounced on the balls of his feet a little.

"You'll see later," she said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as she placed the bag on the counter. "Hunt now, looking at mystery things in bags later." She grabbed his hand and began pulling him toward the car.

"Oh, all right, Vicky," Kai sighed. But that just made him all the more curious, which had probably been her intention all along. Sometimes she was sneaky that way. It was one of the reasons he liked her.

* * *

"Okay, I know it's been awhile since we've done this," Kai said as he and Victoria headed into the shopping mall. "Do you remember what to do?"

"Of course!" Victoria nodded. "I've been hunting longer than you have. But do you really think a crowded mall is the best place to do this? Or are we only here so you can get chili cheese fries at the food court?"

"Can't it just be both?" Kai told her. "I don't know what you have against chili cheese fries anyway."

"They're really unhealthy for you!" Victoria replied. "Don't you know that?"

"Yes, I do," Kai nodded. "And oddly enough, that doesn't change my mind about them at all."

"Oh, all right," Victoria rolled her eyes. "Where would you like to start? Not the food court, though. Let's go to a sporting goods store or something. People who go there are fit so they'll run and we can give chase." She paused. "Or we could just pretend like we're scouting for super models or are the people running a sweepstakes or something."

"Yeah!" Kai nodded. "Let's do that."

* * *

It shouldn't have surprised her, but Kai decided to go with the "We're agents scouting for supermodels" ploy, and soon he had a whole line of attractive women (and a few men) following them out of the mall, all compelled to be as easy as possible to hunt.

"How are we supposed to eat all these?" Victoria asked when they were all lined up behind the mall.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Kai told her. "I'll send back the rest when we're full." He chuckled. "Pretty, aren't they?"

"No," Victoria shook her head, thinking of all these gorgeous humans wanting a piece of her husband. She ran at the first one she saw, knocking her to the ground, pulling back her dark hair, and sinking her fangs into the woman's neck. The woman cried out and struggled, but that just made Victoria more determined to finish her off, and it wasn't until she paused and saw Kai looking at her that she realized he hadn't picked anyone for himself."

"Aren't you gonna eat too?" She asked.

"I was about to," he assured her. "But watching you kill….it was just so hypnotic that I forgot."

"Ah," Victoria nodded, breaking the woman's neck and tossing her body aside before picking one of the men. This spurred Kai into picking a woman of his own.

By the time they'd each had three people, they were bursting at the gills, their clothes and faces covered with blood.

"So, you still want those cheese fries?" Victoria asked, finding just enough strength to make the spent bodies disappear while Kai ordered everyone else back into the mall to go about their lives.

"No," He shook his head. "I'm too full. Maybe once we get home and I shower, I'll feel better."

"I hope so," Victoria replied. "Cause I'll be so disappointed if I don't get to use what's in that bag I bought."

This perked Kai up. He got to his feet and pulled her along with him to the car. "I can't wait for that!" he told her. "But would you mind waiting with it until I got out of the shower?"

"No, you go ahead and do that," she encouraged as he pulled out of the mall. "In fact, I would prefer it if you showered first. That would be better for me."

"Well, this surprise gets more and more exciting as I hear about it, doesn't it?" Kai told her.

"Well, good," Victoria smiled. "That's the whole point."

* * *

When Kai got out of the shower, a strong and delicious scent met his nose: chocolate. He followed the smell out of the bathroom (at Victoria's urging, he'd used another bathroom than the one in their bedroom.)

It was especially strong when he reached the half-open door of his and Victoria's bedroom. He opened the door and found her standing against the bed in her underwear, a bottle of lotion in hand.

"Where's the chocolate I smelled?" He asked.

She shook out her dark hair and laughed, holding out the bottle and shaking it. "That's what the lotion in here smells like," she said. "I thought you could put it on me. I've never been good at doing it myself."

He then watched with wide eyes and parted lips as she handed him the open bottle, slipped off her underwear and bra, and climbed into bed, giving him a come hither look.

Kai looked at the bottle for two seconds and then quickly undressed, climbing in beside her and slowly covering her body with the wonderfully sweet-smelling lotion.

"I could just eat you up," he said as he rubbed it over her legs and inner thighs.

"Please do," she moaned, bucking forward slightly. "That's what I'm waiting for."

Laughing, he leaned down to kiss her and inhale the scent of chocolate on her neck. He nibbled her bottom lip, licking up the blood slowly as one of his hands threaded through her dark hair and the other massaged between her legs.

"Oh," she moaned. "Oh, that's _good!"_

He then pulled away for a moment, a hot look in his eyes before he parted her legs and slipped inside her over and over again.

* * *

"Are you feeling better?" Christine asked Helene as she brought Sarah back for her week. "I know the reason why we had to take her was because you and Malachai were feeling a bit overwhelmed."

"Yes, and thanks for that," Helene told her. "We're feeling much better now. You would think that after three kids, I would be used to magical children, but somehow, Sarah just…she took me by surprise."

"Probably because she restrains herself so much at home," Christine guessed. "So when she comes to see you, all powers just come pouring out of her. Is that a thing?"

"It could be," Helene agreed. "Would you like some coffee or something before you go?"

"Yes, please," Christine nodded. She put Sarah on the floor so she could crawl around and then she and Helene had coffee.

While they were chatting, Malachai came back and immediately got on the floor with Sarah, who crawled into his lap. "She seems much calmer," he observed. "Maybe all that time in nature did her some good."

"We think it did," Christine agreed. "That's why we do it."

To test the theory, Malachai got some tennis balls and put them in front of Sarah. "Can you do something with those?" He asked her. Then he grabbed a pillow to protect his face in case a ball came flying his way, but it didn't. Instead of making the ball rise up or fly or anything like that, Sarah just gripped the ball the best she could and pushed it toward him.

"Well, okay," Malachai said, putting the pillow down. "That's not what I was expecting."

"Matthew is teaching her to play fetch with the dogs," Christine explained. "So you give her a ball and tell her to do something with it, that's probably what she's gonna do."

"I don't know if that makes me feel relieved or something else," Malachai replied.

"Just give it time," Helene told him and put a hand on his shoulder before pushing the ball back to Sarah. "Once she gets into the groove of using her magic again, you'll probably _wish_ all she'd do was push a ball to you."

Christine watched this for a few more minutes, picked Sarah up, kissed her, and told her 'Goodbye'.

"And if you need anything from Matthew or me," she told Helene, "You know the number."

"Yes, we do," Helene agreed. "Thanks! See you in a week!"

* * *

"What are you planning to do with yourself now that you and Helene have split up?" Kai asked Adrian, who had Molly on his lap. "Nothing?"

'Well, I tried to do something," Adrian pointed out. "I tried dating or whatever you want to call what happened with me and Renee and it didn't work out. Now I'm just happy with it being me and my dog and occasionally Molly."

"All right," Kai replied. "As long as you're happy, who am I to criticize?"

"Yeah, exactly," Adrian nodded. Then his eyes lit up. "Molly and I have been working on a trick. Wanna see it? But you can't tell Victoria. It might make her mad."

"Well, now I'm even more intrigued," Kai replied. "Will Molly get hurt?"

"No," Adrian said as he lined up the drink bottles. "In fact, usually the one who gets hurt is me."

"Really?" Kai smiled. "I can't wait to see this!"

"You don't need to sound so happy about it," Adrian scowled at him.

"I'm sorry," Kai said. "That was very wrong of me."

He then watched as Adrian asked Molly to get him the beer. As usual, it didn't go straight to him, but it didn't hit him in the eye and he managed to catch it before it went whizzing past his head and smashed into the wall.

"Good!" Adrian said, grabbing Molly and kissing her hair. "That was so much better! I'm so proud of you!"

Molly giggled and then tried to take the bottle away from him.

"No," he said firmly. "This is _not_ for you."

Molly's lip jutted out, which made Kai quickly zap her up a bottle of formula mixed with blood, which he quickly gave her to occupy herself with. "There we go," he said. "Now you can enjoy your drink in peace."

"Good," Adrian nodded. Rusty came in a few minutes later with his bowl in his mouth, setting it down next to Adrian so he would put a little bit of beer in the bowl for him.

"Do you do that normally?" Kai asked. "Is that good for a dog?"

"Well, Rusty's not a normal dog," Adrian explained as the dog lapped up the beer beside him. "He was a former very enthusiastic suitor of my aunt's who made him this way when she didn't want to deal with his advances anymore. She's done that with more than one man over the years. Dumped them and made them live for eternity as dogs. She then gave him to my mom when she and my dad were going through a rough patch and he's been in my life as long as I can remember."

"Well, that's not the answer I was expecting," Kai said. "How interesting. We have Ginger, but she's not magical at all. And not as personable as dogs usually are, either. She's been hiding a lot lately."

When the dog finished what was in his bowl, he rolled over and fell asleep. That was around the time Molly finished her bottle and reached out for Adrian again.

"There's always someone better, isn't there?" Kai asked jokingly as he handed her over.

Adrian took her and then, as had happened with his daughters many years before, she suddenly turned into a giant spider which proceeded to crawl all over him.

He tried to stay calm and not kill it because he knew it was Molly, but it was very hard.

"Here, let me help," Kai said after watching Adrian squirm for a few minutes. He held out his hand and as Molly the spider crawled onto his palm, he turned her back into a baby and Adrian let out a sigh of relief.

"I think I handled that pretty well," he said, slapping his leg.

"Yes," Kai nodded. "Congratulations for not wetting yourself even though you clearly wanted to."

"Oh, shut up," Adrian said. Then he went and got a bag of chips that he'd been hiding from Kai and ate them all while he made his friend watch without giving him a single one and holding the bag out of his grasp every time he tried to reach, laughing louder and louder with every grab.


	19. At A Standstill

"Oh, come on!" Kai complained when he heard Victoria wanted to invite more of her relatives to come and visit. "They all hate me. Why do you torture me this way?"

"It's just my Aunt Rebecca," Victoria promised. "She said that Luke called her and insisted she make a visit to see if I'm really okay."

"So your cousin that you once had a crush on is _not_ coming," Kai said. "That's clear?"

"Yes," Victoria nodded. "Luke isn't coming. And it would take like…several of my relatives to equal the crazy your mother brought on me, all right?"

Kai sighed. "I suppose that's a good point. Are you sure your aunt isn't evil?"

"No, she's kind of like my dad," Victoria told her. "And you get along with my dad, right?"

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "I do."

Victoria's phone rang then and she saw it was her aunt. They talked for a bit and then hung up.

"Aunt Rebecca wants to know if we'll come to her," Victoria told Kai. "Is that all right with you?"

"Yeah, sure," Kai told her as they went to get Finn and Molly ready. "Let's go."

* * *

So they and the twins headed back to the nice cabin in the woods where Rebecca had suggested they meet and she met them at the door.

"Thanks for agreeing to meet us here," she said. "Eli and I have been hiding out here forever."

"Trying to get away from Grandma?" Victoria asked knowingly

"Exactly," Rebecca nodded. "And all the Council mess. They thought they found someone to lead, but she wants to get rid of all of Astrid's more liberal policies _and_ shut down the school, so people are protesting and it's just a big mess."

"Where's Eli?" Victoria wanted to know.

"He's out getting firewood, if you can believe that," Rebecca replied, just as the door opened and her dark-haired, blue-eyed husband came into the cabin.

"Could I have a bit of help?" He asked. "I think I need to shower. And iron out my shirt." He looked sorrowfully at the wrinkles in his white and light blue striped shirt. " _So_ wrinkly." He then saw Victoria. "Sorry about that," he said, coming to hug her. "Rebecca mentioned she might invite you." He looked at Kai and the twins too, but with interest and not revulsion. "And who might these people be?"

"This is my husband Kai and our twins, Finn and Molly," Victoria told him. "They are working on their magic and it makes every day pretty exciting."

"I don't know how you do it," Rebecca told her, her voice full of admiration. "I could barely handle one magical baby, let alone two."

"Well, Finn is a bit different," Victoria explained. "Things happened before he was born that made his powers show themselves a bit differently than normal."

"Yeah, I remember about the whole thing with Edele," Rebecca replied. "It was all over the news. I'm glad you all made it through things okay."

"Thanks," Victoria said. "That was when she got to Finny and then, just recently, she tried to get Molly, so…so we had to get Molly a new body and put a protection spell on her. I tell you, it's incredibly stressful."

"Oh, I bet," Rebecca nodded and put a hand on her back as she held Finn close. "That's why I thought it would be good for you to be here. It'll give you time for a little rest."

Their attention was then put on Eli, who was swearing as he tried to light the logs in the fireplace.

"You want me to do that?" Rebecca offered. "It would be less frustrating that way."

"Thank you," Eli told her over his shoulder. "But remember we swore that this cabin would be a place where no magic was used except for in particular circumstances. I can handle this. Trust me."

Rebecca sat back, scowling. "All right, maestro. Do what you will."

"I intend to," Eli told her.

But unlike Rebecca, Molly didn't listen to Eli's 'no magic' pronouncement, crawling beside him, pausing, and then, a few seconds later, doing something that made him let out a cry.

"She shot fire out of her eyeballs!" He said in amazement as he turned to face Rebecca and Victoria in shock. "Is that normal?"

"Yes," Rebecca nodded and pushed her blonde hair out of her eyes. "It's a shame you weren't around when Luke was a little boy. It would have gotten you used to stuff like that."

"You sound like you speak from experience," Kai replied.

"Yep," Rebecca nodded. "I raised two little boys on my own from two different fathers. Both had magic, of course."

"And did you resent having to raise two boys who had magic?" Kai asked. "Do you wish you would have had daughters instead?"

"No," Rebecca shook her head. "I love my sons. Of course Mom was a bit dismayed there weren't any daughters at first, but she got used to Robbie and Luke after some time went by." She paused. "Your mom wasn't so good to you, I take it."

"No," Kai shook his head. "Can't say she was."

Then, Rebecca did something that surprised him: she came over and gave him a hug. A long hug. No one but Victoria had ever done that for him. When she pulled away, she told him, "I'm sorry for what you had to go through."

"Thanks," he got out, still feeling shock. "Thanks very much."

"Well, isn't this interesting?" Victoria remarked as Eli carried Molly back to the sofa. "Usually, she tends to balk at being dealt with by guys like you."

"And what exactly does that mean?" Eli asked. "Is it an insinuation that I'm boring?"

"No!" Victoria replied quickly. "I meant that you're gentle. Stable. Calm. Like me. I wouldn't insult myself."

"Oh," Eli nodded and flushed a little. "Sorry."

"Then again, your mom is pretty exciting," Victoria corrected herself. "Maybe Molly senses that in you." She was then surprised to see him roll up the sleeves of his button down shirt, revealing that his arms were covered in tattoos.

Molly was mesmerized by the colors and as she ran her hand down his arm, Victoria asked, "When did you get all those?"

"I get them from time to time," Eli told her. "My mom has a friend who does them for me."

"Wow," Victoria smiled. "How nice."

"Yeah," Eli nodded. "I like seeing the looks on people's faces when I show them off cause it really surprises them."

"It _is_ your greatest secret," Rebecca smiled, coming over to kiss him. "Well, one of them, anyway."

Molly let out a shriek then.

"What?" Rebecca asked as she turned to look at Kai and Victoria. "What have I done?"

"Oh, you didn't do anything," Kai assured her. "Molly's just incredibly territorial is all."

Rebecca gave Molly a nervous look and then wisely stepped away.

"Here," Victoria offered. "Take Finny."

"It's funny how you always do that," Kai laughed at her while Rebecca settled Finn in her lap.

"How I always do what?" Victoria asked.

"Someone has a bad experience with Molly and you give them Finn after to make them feel better."

"You better not tell Adrian that Molly's found a new friend," Victoria smiled at Kai. "He might get jealous."

"I'm sure he won't," Kai assured her. "He doesn't think that way."

"I don't know," Victoria said. "I've heard stories from Helene about how childish he acted when she didn't pay attention to him all the time."

"Well, okay, but what he's got with Molly is different," Kai told her. "She's hurled so many bottles at his head while practicing magic with him that I'm sure he'd be relieved for someone else to take up that duty."

"Maybe," Victoria nodded. "But I doubt it."

* * *

Once everyone was comfortable with each other, they ate a late lunch, went on a tour of the cabin, then, at Victoria's insistence, stayed outside and got fresh air until night fall.

"So…" Victoria said to Kai as they got ready for bed. "Do you hate me for dragging you out here?"

"No," Kai shook his head. "In fact…I really like your aunt. Much more than when I met her the first time."

"I thought you would, and that she'd like you once she got a chance to know you," Victoria told him. "My cousin Robbie's a bit like you, so you're nothing she hasn't dealt with before."

Kai smiled. "So…when do I meet him?"

"Robbie?" Victoria shrugged. "I don't know. He's never been particularly good about keeping Aunt Rebecca up to date on his whereabouts. But maybe Louisa's told her. Louisa is Robbie's much more put together girlfriend who used to be married to Uncle Eli. It was real awkward for a while there."

Kai scoffed. "Sounds like it." He yawned and reached for the light above their headboard. "Not that I wouldn't love to keep hearing more of your stories, but I need to get some sleep."

"I understand," Victoria nodded as he snapped off the light. "Good night, Malachai."

"Goodnight," Vicky," Kai replied as he pulled the blankets over both of them and shut his eyes.

* * *

"Hello, Helene," Malachai said, coming up behind the sofa when she was watching TV with Sarah in her lap, massaging her shoulders a bit, and kissing her hair and then Sarah's. "Hello, little darling. What are you watching?"

"Witch news," Helene replied as she handed Sarah to her father. "Apparently, things have gotten worse since I was ousted. And Sarah didn't like it much either. She made the TV go out twice before I finally calmed her down."

"Maybe you should try and reclaim your spot," Malachai suggested, sitting down so Sarah could more comfortably cuddle against him. "Not that I want you to, of course, but who knows? You could get somewhere this time."

"No, I like being where I am right now," Helene told him. "They were the ones who wanted to boot me, and them suffering because of that is not my fault. They can fix their own mess for all I care."

Not long after, Percy came home for lunch with interesting news. "They're shutting down school for a while until this whole government mess is cleared up," he said, putting his bag by the door and sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Really?" Helene asked. "Why?"

"There was allegedly a threat made by some people to blow it up unless they were promised that it would close down. Now it's got a protection spell on it and everyone is planning to be in negotiations." He sighed. "Good thing the internship means I don't have to be at school, otherwise things wouldn't end well for me. And John and Liam are on the road, so he's safe. Steve is with James and everyone is so scared of James they wouldn't do a thing to him." Percy shrugged. "That's what's going on."

"So you won't be going back to school now?" Helene clarified. "The break's officially started?"

"Exactly," Percy nodded. "What should I do for education in the mean time?"

"We can help you," Malachai told him. And Helene agreed. "Don't worry about that."


	20. Telling Family Secrets

"I know this will seem like a stupid question," Helene told Percy, "and please don't take this the wrong way, but…what brought you here, do you think? You said originally that you came looking for me that first night, but I don't know."

"Those are good instincts you have," Malachai told her as he brought some books to the kitchen so he and Percy could work out their plan of study. "He didn't come for you."

"I didn't?" Percy asked. "Then who did I come for?"

"I'm pretty sure you came for me," Malachai told him. "You know how you were conceived, right?"

"Yeah," Percy nodded. "Mom was too busy to find a man, so…" his eyes widened. "Are you him?"

"How do you know?" Helene cried.

"I have a thing that tracks every time my sperm is used," Malachai told her. "That's how I knew about Sarah too."

"Well, I guess so," Helene replied, looking surprised. "How many more will be showing up at our door, do you think?"

"Do you _really_ want to know the number?" Malachai asked her. "It might overwhelm you."

"All right, I won't press the issue," Helene said. "At least not for now. And besides, if every child you've fathered is like Percy or Sarah, what do I have to worry about?"

Malachai then went over and sat next to Percy. "Do you have any questions? I know news like this is a bit overwhelming, especially when it's just blurted out."

"No, actually," Percy shook his head. "I've known about my unique circumstances my whole life. I figured my father wouldn't ever be part of my life and since it wasn't like he was someone who up and left the family, I never spent a lot of time dwelling on the issue." He paused as Malachai looked a little crestfallen. "However," he continued quickly, "I guess I wouldn't mind learning a few things now that this new relationship of ours is out in the open."

"Okay, go ahead," Malachai urged, smiling broadly now. "Ask me anything."

"Why are you so sure that I came to see you?" Percy asked. "If I didn't know you were the man who fathered me until now?"

Malachai opened his mouth and then shut it, not really knowing how to answer that question. "Well, did you sense some sort of connection to me that you couldn't quite explain?" He asked finally. "Sarah has an uncanny fondness for me."

"Well, children her age get close to people much easier," Percy replied. "Not that I dislike you or think that we'll never have a relationship. Cause we will beyond what we have now. I just need a little time."

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "Of course, I understand."

"Good," Percy nodded and pulled a book toward him. "Thank you. Now, what do you say we focus on first things first? What do you think I need to know in order to be well-educated?"

"Well, not everything you should learn will be in books," Helene told him. "They can only take you so far. Actually doing spells is much more helpful, I think."

"I'm open for that," Percy said agreeably. "And I'm much more comfortable doing dull things like levitation. The whole time travel idea was completely Steve's."

"I _do_ believe that," Helene told him. "Don't worry."

"And I have no doubt your parents will come back," he continued. "I know we made a big mistake, but it will be fixed in the end."

"Oh, I know," Helene nodded. "You don't have to worry yourself. You're not the one who cast it, are you?"

"No," Percy shook his dark head. "Can't say I was."

"Well, there you go," Helene nodded. "My father is excellent with time travel spells, so the only thing that might hold him back is convincing everyone else to go back with him."

"And how long do you think that will take?" Malachai asked.

"Hard to say," Helene shrugged. "If it goes on long enough, my entire existence might be erased, but there's really nothing we can do about it, so it's something I have to try not to think about." She then turned to Percy. "So…you wanna do books first, or actually doing magic first?"

"Books," Percy said immediately. "It's really hard for me to do a spell comfortably unless I'm really sure I know it."

"That's sound logic," Helene nodded. "Good thinking."

* * *

"Well, that went better than I thought it would," Malachai told Helene after Percy left. "Do you think I was too blunt?"

Helene put her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry about it. It's hard to deliver news like that in a way that won't shock at least a little."

"What about you?" Malachai wanted to know. "Was it a shock for you too?"

"If by 'shock' you mean something that's startled me so much that I want to run away from you, no," Helene shook her head. "It wasn't a shock. Not in that sense. But people who donate sperm like that usually don't go to such lengths to keep track of the kids they fathered. Now, I'm sure you have your reasons, so I won't push, but I can't say it doesn't intrigue me."

"Oh, it's nothing bad," Malachai assured her. "I just…you'll probably think it's really weird, but…those kids (before you came along, I mean) were the closest thing I had to a full-time family. I know it sounds silly, but…that's why I keep track of them: so in my own way, I can pretend like they're my family too, along with the women who brought them into the world."

Helene smooched him and then tried not to tear up. "That's very sweet," she told him. "And I-I'm really touched you consider me family."

"Of course I do," He said as he pulled her to him. "You've done so much for me even when I was a virtual stranger to you, so how could I _not_ consider you family?"

"And I'm glad I have you too," Helene replied. "With Mom and Dad gone and being divorced with grown children, there are hardly any family members that I have that I see full time. Except you."

Malachai smiled and began kissing her neck. "This might seem like a foolish thing to put forth since you just got divorced and all, but…do you suppose, with time, we could be more than family? Married, maybe? We've pretty much done everything you need to do leading up to it."

"Maybe," Helene told him, putting a finger on his lips. "I mean, I won't say 'No', of course. But now…now is too soon for me to be thinking about marriage again."

"Oh, I know that," Malachai assured her. "I was just putting it out there as something that could happen someday."

"I hope it does," Helene whispered in his ear. "Really."

* * *

"I'm really glad you liked Eli and Aunt Rebecca," Victoria told Kai appreciatively. "I'm gonna try and introduce you to the people who are completely different from Grandpa Kol or Grandma Gwen just for a change."

"What about Robbie and Louisa?" Kai asked. "Are they bad?"

"No," Victoria shook her head. "I mean, I think it would be fair to warn you that Robbie is the product of a one-night-stand that Aunt Rebecca had with Uncle Klaus, so that's that, but that could be a positive thing, I suppose, if he's like Adrian, and I think he kind of is. But more mature. And Louisa's a one-time human turned vampire. A very sweet girl."

Kai chuckled. "I wish I had more family for you to meet," he said.

"What about you and Sean?" Victoria asked. "Are you two talking now? Have you since the incident?"

"Who knows if he'd talk to me now?" Kai asked. "But I suppose I could try."

"Good," Victoria said, taking him in her arms and kissing him. "That's a very mature thing to do. I'll even come with you if you want moral support."

"I wouldn't say I need moral support," Kai replied. "But backup in case Sean sees me and tries to kill me would be nice."

"All right," Victoria nodded. "I'll let you handle this, but I have your back. You want to get in touch with him, or should I?"

"I'll do it," Kai said, even though he knew that meant it would take longer. "Since this is my situation, I should be the one to make contact."

"That is a good point," Victoria said. "Good for you."

* * *

And they didn't even have to try very hard to get hold of him. Kai gathered his strength and called, and the next night, Sean and Junior were on Kai and Victoria's doorstep. When Kai let them in, Junior hissed at him.

"Now, now," Sean told him. "That's not the way to behave when someone wants to make peace."

"So you forgive me for what happened? If our wives have made peace, I think we should."

Sean sighed. "You've done me lots of wrongs over the years," he told him. "Do you feel bad about what happened with Eva?"

"Yes, I do," Kai nodded. "It was a bad mistake. Victoria will always be the one for me."

"Good," Sean told him after a long pause. "I suppose I'll forgive you then."

"Thanks," Kai told him. "You wanna come in and set Junior down with Molly and then I'll get us a drink?"

"Sure." Sean remarked. He pulled out his wallet to count his dollar bills and then the picture of a lovely woman with dark hair and green eyes drifted out of the wallet.

"Who's that?" Kai asked as Sean quickly picked it up.

"No one," he answered. "No one you need to know about."

"That's your new girlfriend, isn't it?" Kai prodded. "She's pretty! What's her name?"

"Stop saying things like that!" Sean said, looking disgusted. "Like I told you, who she is is none of your business."

"Okay, fine," Kai sighed. "In the spirit of reconciliation, I'll let it drop."

"Good," Sean told him as he sat down. "Thank you."

* * *

And Kai kept his word, even though it was _very_ difficult. Only when he and Victoria were changing for bed did he finally blurt out, "I think Sean has a girlfriend!"

"He does?" Victoria asked, pausing her search for a t-shirt to sleep in. "What gave you that idea?"

"A picture of a woman I've never seen before fell out of his wallet and when I asked who it was, he told me to mind my own business!" Kai said. "Obviously, that means he's hiding something!"

"Or he could just be well within his rights to keep his own secrets," Victoria suggested. "He doesn't have to tell you everything. In fact, given how shaky your relationship has been over the years, I'm surprised he tells you as much as he does."

"Don't you think Eva should know about this?" Kai prodded. "If she's thinking of getting back together with him, this is gonna break her heart!"

"Oh, I'm sure Eva could handle that," Victoria reassured him as she pulled a shirt on and then climbed into bed. "Don't you have better things to think about?"

"Yes," Kai nodded, climbing in bed beside her, kissing her, and helping her remove the shirt. "I don't know why you put this on when you knew that I was just gonna take it off."

Victoria smiled. "I never want to make things too easy for you. You could get bored with me."

"I don't think that would ever happen," Kai replied before sinking his fangs into her neck as his fingers lightly caressed her bare breast.

Victoria moaned and bucked her hips forward. "Yes," she breathed. "Yes!"

As one of his hands moved down her body and then a long finger entered between her parted legs, she held his other hand and nibbled on his fingers before sucking on them gently, an action that made him growl and quickly change position, burying himself inside her so quickly that she screamed and nearly hit her head on the headboard.

"Are you okay?" Kai asked after in a hushed voice.

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "Good thing we put those spells on the twins' doors so they wouldn't be able to hear us. That would really spoil the mood."

"Are you tired?" Kai asked.

"No," Victoria grinned and shook her head. "I'm just getting warmed up."

"Good," Kai told her and then kissed her again. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

They did another round and after Victoria was asleep and the lights were out, Kai did something he knew Victoria wouldn't approve of: he called Eva.

"I just thought you should know that Sean has a new girlfriend," he told her.

Her 'Hello' had sounded very sleepy, but her next words were from someone who was very awake. "He has a new girlfriend? What's she like?"

"I don't know," Kai whispered. "I've only seen a picture. But she's pretty."

"Of course she is," Eva huffed. "I guess it's too much to expect him to have his other girlfriends be ugly. Thanks for telling me."

"You're welcome," Kai told her. "I'm sorry I woke you, but I thought you should know."

"I'm glad you did," Eva replied. "And I know why you had to tell me now: Victoria would have caught you at any other time. If you don't have anything more to say, I'm gonna say good night."

"All right," Kai said. "Goodnight, Eva." He ended the call, then turned to check and see if Victoria was still asleep before going back to bed himself and not feeling one bit sorry about what he'd done.


	21. Messing Around A Little

The next time Sarah came to visit, Helene noticed an interesting change come over Percy. As he studied his books, he would occasionally sneak peeks at Sarah and Malachai who were playing by the fireplace. After his third glance, Malachai finally asked, "Percy, would you like to take a break from your studies and come play with Sarah and me?"

"No, thank you," Percy shook his head. "I wouldn't want to take time away from you playing with someone you only get to see rarely when you can see me every day." He shut his book, but instead of joining Malachai and Sarah, he stomped off to his room.

"What's that all about?" Malachai asked Helene. "I've been giving him space like he wanted. You can't force these things."

"Well, maybe you should try," Helene suggested, looking down the hallway. "I don't think it would hurt."

Malachai looked at Sarah, sighed, and then picked her up to go and talk to Percy.

"I wouldn't take her with you to talk to him if I were you," Helene said. "I'll take her for a bit. If you talk to Percy alone, you'll probably have a better chance of getting his attention."

"Yes, you're probably right," Malachai nodded and gave her a kiss. "Thank you. Can you tell I'm not so good with children?"

"A little bit," Helene nodded. "But you'll get better."

Malachai turned to go, but Sarah reached out for him and made whining noises.

"I have to go see Percy by myself," he told her. "I'll be back to play with you in a little bit, all right?" He gave her a little kiss on the cheek and that seemed to calm her down long enough so that he could get away and go to Percy's room without being stopped again. He reached Percy's closed door and knocked on it twice with the back of his hand. "Percy?" He called. "Can we talk? Sarah's not with me, I promise."

There was no response and for a moment, Malachai thought that Percy wouldn't talk to him, but soon, the door opened and Percy gave him a long look. He then looked around Malachai and said, "All right, you weren't lying about Sarah. I suppose you can come in."

"Good," Malachai nodded and followed him inside, closing the door after. "Because I really think we need to talk more about this whole situation we have going on with the two of us."

"You mean like how you're my biological father and Sarah's my sister?" Percy asked.

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "That. Are you sure you don't need me to explain anything to you?"

"No," Percy shook his head. "I just…I think you fathered Sarah and me because you want family, don't you? I don't believe you have much other than me and Sarah and Helene."

"I have my nephew and his family too, along with some others, but still, it's not much, like you say," Malachai agreed.

"So do you think…do you think that instead of trying to get me to ask questions so you can explain all this technical stuff with me…you can just be my dad?" Percy asked. "I've never really had that and I want it."

"Well, to be totally honest, I don't really know how to be a dad, at least not to someone who's not as young and easy to deal with as Sarah," Malachai confessed. "I don't want to feel like I'm letting you down."

"You won't if you stop trying too hard," Percy assured him. He paused. "Would you…would you come with me to work tomorrow?"

"Don't you work at the Council?" Malachai asked, feeling a little worried. "I don't know if I'm exactly welcome there, but sure, I guess I could come."

"You won't regret it!" Percy smiled. "You'll find out something you'll really be eager to hear."

"Really?" Malachai asked, feeling intrigued. "And just what is that?"

"Well, I can't tell you now, can I?" Percy smiled. "You'll have to find out tomorrow."

* * *

The next day after breakfast, Percy and Malachai set off for the Council building. As he expected, things were in chaos, but Malachai was quickly taken away from that as Percy led him into Clarence's office and shut the door behind them both, which blocked out the cacophony of noise from the lower floors.

"Well, this is very…pink," Malachai said as he looked around and tried not to wince.

"I know it takes a while to get used to," Percy told him. "But soon, you won't even notice it."

They headed to Clarence's office door, knocked, and soon, the black man in the pink suit with the shaved head and football player's build opened the door. "Well, hello, Percy!" He said with a smile. "I have just the job for us to do today!"

"Actually, I was wondering if we could do something for Malachai here," Percy told him. "Can we tell him about what will go on between him and Helene?"

Clarence gave Malachai a long look and for a moment, Malachai thought the large man was going to hurt him, but he pulled him into a hug instead, squeezing him so tight that Malachai was sure he heard something crack. When Clarence let him go he talked in a flustered voice.

"I'm very grateful for you, Mr. McCullough," he said. "I swear, I had been trying my hardest for years to get Helene and Adrian to be as good together as they used to be, but I just couldn't do it. I'm so glad you came along!"

"You seem surprised by that," Malachai raised an eyebrow. "Don't you plan all the relationships out in advance?"

"I'm not the only one who does it," Clarence told him. "I'm just the boss. Sometimes, the people who work with me disagree on my match-ups and put together other surprise matches without telling me, and I think you and Ms. Fale were one of those cases."

Malachai smiled. "Well, isn't that lucky? And you don't need to tell me what our file says. I pretty much know already. We're gonna get married. "We've already talked about it."

"Of course you're gonna get married," Clarence smiled tightly. "But tell me something…would you consider yourself a patient man, would you say?"

"What do you mean?" Malachai asked. "Are you saying that when I ask her again, she's gonna turn me down?"

"There's something you haven't told her, is there?" Clarence asked. "About you, I mean. You have a secret, don't you? And secrets have a habit of coming out at the worst possible time. Just a little something to think about."

"I better get to work now," Percy told Malachai before shaking his hand. "Enjoy your day with Sarah."

"I will," Malachai nodded. "It might just cheer me up after what I heard."

"Don't worry about it," Percy told him. "I'm sure you and Helene will be fine."

"Yeah," Malachai said to himself as he made his way out of the office. "I sure hope so."

* * *

When he got home, he had it in his head to tell Helene exactly what his big secret was. He led her into their bedroom and said, "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Helene smiled.

"I-I've fathered lots of kids," he said. "Eleven others along with Percy and Sarah."

"That's so sweet of you to do!" Helene told him. "We'll need a big table for Thanksgiving."

He then opened his mouth to tell her more about why he had all the kids, but that…he just couldn't say that. That was what would drive her away.

"What else do you need to say?" She asked, her brown eyes bright.

"Nothing," He said and gave her a kiss. "Sarah in bed?"

"Yeah," Helene replied and hugged him. "It's just you and me now."

"Good," Malachai smiled and pressed her against the wall, kissing her as his hands went down her body. "I like to hear that."

* * *

"How'd things go with Sean?" Victoria asked Kai. "Are you two friends now? You never told me."

"Well, it's no worse than it's ever been," Kai told her. "I can say that with confidence." He paused. "By the way, what do you think of Sean having a new girlfriend?"

"I think if he wants one, all the more power to him," Victoria replied. "Even though it's kind of a shame. He and Eva were good for each other. I just hope that whatever you blurted out to Eva isn't gonna mess things up too bad."

"What, _moi_?" Kai asked, putting a hand to his chest. "Why would you accuse me of something like that?"

"Cause you're terrible at keeping your mouth shut," Victoria replied. "Haven't you done enough to Sean already? And what if the girl in the picture isn't his girlfriend?"

"Then I'm sure that when Eva confronts him, it will all be straightened out," Kai said, taking Victoria in his arms. "No harm, no foul."

"Right, sure," Victoria nodded. "Whatever you say."

Not that Victoria didn't trust Kai at all (well, actually she didn't) but just to be sure nothing bad happened if Eva went to confront Sean, she offered to go with her friend when Eva told her that she was going to talk to him.

"You don't need to come with me," Eva told her. "I promise I'll behave."

"I believe you," Victoria urged. "But just the same, I would feel better if I was there to run interference if, in spite of your best intentions, something went wrong. You don't want anything to go wrong, do you?"

"No," Eva shook her blonde head. "I'm not even gonna yell at him or anything."

"That's very big of you," Victoria remarked. "Ready to go?"

"Yes," Eva nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

So they headed to Sean's house and he let them in with a big sigh after shaking his head of longish dark hair. "Are you here about the picture in my wallet?" He asked.

"Sort of," Eva nodded.

"I figured Kai would say something," Sean told her with a growl while he balled his hands into fists. "And if what you have to say is anything other than that you're happy for me, I don't want to hear it."

"All right," Eva nodded as Victoria put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "I-I'm happy for you. And I miss you, but there's really no point in expressing that now, was there?"

"There could be at some point," Sean nodded as Eva's cheeks flushed. "I'll keep it in mind."

"You will, baby?" She got out, sounding hopeful. It definitely didn't sound like he was holing up with a girl somewhere."

"Yes, I will," Sean told her. "As long as you keep behaving yourself and don't push me to make decisions before I'm ready."

"Oh, I would never do that," Eva quickly assured him. "Not when I feel like we might have a chance to get back together again."

"Good," Sean nodded, then looked between her and Victoria. "Can I get you two a drink or something?" He asked. "Sorry I don't keep blood around here anymore, but I have sodas and juice and stuff."

"I think I'd like a lemonade, please," Victoria told him. "If you have it."

"All right," Sean nodded. Then he looked at Eva. "Do you still like cherry cola, princess?" He asked, one side of his mouth going up.

"Yes, I do," Eva smiled as they went to sit down and he headed for the kitchen. "That really surprises me. I'm so pleased you remember."

While Eva sat happily on the sofa, Victoria called Kai. "Looks like there's still some hope for Eva and Sean if you don't go around messing things up for them," Victoria told him. "Just leave it alone."

"He didn't even tell her he's got a girlfriend?" Kai asked. "What a jerk!"

"No, he told her," Victoria assured him. "He's not leading her on.

"Well, he is if he has a girlfriend and yet he's still letting Eva believe something is going on between them!" Kai cried, incensed on Eva's behalf.

"Please leave it alone," Victoria said firmly. "If you won't do it for Eva, do it for me."

"Fine," Kai huffed. "I'm gonna go hunting now. Or should I wait until you get home?"

"Oh, no, go now," Victoria insisted. "Don't let me keep you." She ended the call just as Sean brought their drinks in, and was very glad to be able to just have pleasant conversation and not think about what her husband would probably do to further mess things up for Eva.


	22. The All-Powerful Boy

Victoria sat up in bed, her eyes wide, her breathing hard, as she tried to think what had woken her up. Maybe it was motherly intuition, maybe it was nothing, but she had to get up and check on her son. As she got to her feet, Kai felt the mattress shift beside him and mumbled, "What's wrong? What's the matter?"

"Something is up with Finny, I think," Victoria whispered. "Don't worry. I can handle it. You go back to sleep."

"All right," Kai mumbled again. "You go. Yell if you need help."

"Oh, I shouldn't need any," Victoria assured him as she put her robe on over her bare body and then left the room, prepared to just rock her son back to sleep because he had some sort of bad dream or just wanted to be held.

But when she reached his room, she got the shock of her life. He was floating around his room, giggling and smiling and having the time of his life.

"All right, Finny," Victoria told him as she got on the spare bed in an attempt to reach him because he was high above the floor. "Time to go to sleep now. Mommy's too tired for these kinds of games." But when she got hold of his tiny hand, she felt herself be levitated as well. Unable to get back down, and thankful that the door was still open, she realized that the only thing she could do was call for Kai to come help her, even though she knew that would wake Molly as well.

A few minutes later, Kai strode into the room with Molly in hand. "Why do you have to yell, Vicky?" He asked without looking up. "Are you trying to wake the dead at this time of the morning?"

"Look up and you'll see why I yelled, Malachai," Victoria told him, her voice curt.

Kai looked up and his eyes widened as he saw Victoria and Finn floating. "Oh," he said and put Molly on the floor. "Well, that explains that. Sorry."

"Be careful," Victoria said as he reached up to take Finn in his arms. "We don't want him to levitate you too."

But by that point, the excitement of being in the air must've been wearing off for Finn because he was beginning to lower toward the floor naturally, and Kai was able to take hold of him and put him in bed without being raised up himself.

"All right, Vicky," he said when Finn was tucked in. "Now it's your turn."

"Well, good," Victoria told him. "I'm starting not to like it up here. It's making me dizzy and a bit motion sick."

Kai climbed onto the bed and slowly lowered her down until she fell the rest of the way and they both landed on the extra bed with a thud.

"Thanks," Victoria smiled as she looked down into Kai's eyes from her place on top of him. "It's a real relief to have my body touching something solid." She then leaned down to kiss him and then got off him and picked Molly up off the floor. "I think we need to get you to bed, young lady."

Kai was very surprised to see that Molly didn't protest being carried off by her mother. Maybe it was progress, which was something of a relief to him.

When everyone was settled down and Kai and Victoria were back in their room, he said to her, "You think you'll be able to get back to sleep? Or are you too riled up?" He came to undo her robe and watch it fall to her feet. "Cause I could think of other ways to entertain you if you can't sleep."

Victoria smiled and put her arms around him as he played with her hair and gave her neck a little nibble. "I think I wouldn't mind being entertained," she said and then let him go to go climb on the bed and give Kai a come hither look. "Nothing gets the blood going like several minutes of heart-stopping terror."

"Oh, come on," Kai said, climbing in the bed beside her. "You weren't that scared, were you? Cause frankly, that makes me feel a little hurt. I thought I was the one that scared you the most!"

"Oh, you do," Victoria assured him. "No one else will ever replace you in that regard."

"Good," Kai replied and took her in his arms again, getting in the same position they'd been in in Finn's room not long before. "That's exactly what I want to hear." He then zapped up a pair of handcuffs and cuffed her to the bedpost before nibbling at different parts of her body and licking the blood up before he buried himself deep inside her.

* * *

"Okay, here's the tape," Victoria said and handed the recording of Finn's shenanigans to Gwen several hours later. "It gave me quite a shock this morning."

Gwen watched it and then burst out laughing. "My goodness!" She said when she could get her breath. "How amusing!"

"Yes, you would say that," Victoria mumbled as she held onto Finn tightly. "You weren't the one who was hoisted into the air and unable to come down!"

"Don't expect to get sympathy from her, Victoria," Mikael said. "She'll probably tell you that you should be glad Finn is doing magic in the first place."

"Well, aren't you?" Gwen asked.

"Yes, but being the guinea pig for a baby is hard work sometimes!" Victoria told her grandmother.

Gwen sighed and nodded. "I suppose it _is_ difficult," she conceded. "I apologize, Victoria."

"Thank you," Victoria told her. "I can't wait until they're finally a year old and things calm down at last. It seems like it's taking forever!"

"I felt the same way with King especially," Mikael remarked. "Being the only one in the house who didn't have powers and all. But then again, it's always been that way for me."

"That's right," Gwen said and put a hand on his arm. "I forgot that your wife was a witch too. I don't know how, since she ruined my life with her powers. Maybe I'm just blocking it out. But you got through it. That's the important thing. Good for you."

"Are you mocking me?" Mikael asked.

"No," Gwen said earnestly. "I'm being sincere. If it sounds mocking, I don't mean it to."

"Well, thank you then," Mikael told her. "I appreciate it. It prepared me well for the excitement of living with you."

"Now who's mocking whom?" Gwen asked dryly.

Then, to Victoria's surprise, her grandparents kissed right in front of her, which they usually never did because they weren't touchy-feely sorts and reserved affection for behind closed doors. "That was nice," she got out, even though the better course of action would have been to pretend she didn't notice.

"We've decided that we should try and be more affectionate toward each other," Gwen told her. "It's a bit strange, but I suppose that the more we do it, the more natural it will become."

"That's good," Victoria smiled. "Good for you."

"Now are you sure he only does magic at night?" Gwen asked, taking Finn in her lap.

"Well, we've only _seen_ him do magic at night," Victoria corrected. "I suppose he could do it during the day if he wanted to. He just hasn't yet. Don't push him, though."

"Why would I?" Gwen asked. "I've already seen what he can do."

Then, to both her and Victoria's surprise, Finn stared at Gwen really intently and soon, she felt herself begin to rise up too.

"No," she said, thinking quickly and grabbing the arm of the sofa. "No, not now!"

"You said you wanted him to show you his power, Gwendolyn," Mikael smiled. "Why stop the boy now?"

"Well…I just…is there any other way he could show his powers off?" Gwen wanted to know.

"Would you rather be turned into a mouse or a bug?" Mikael smirked.

"Possibly," Gwen nodded. "It depends." She then got her wish as Finn turned her into a stuffed bear and then took its hand in his, chewing thoughtfully on the arm.

"No, no, no!" Victoria told him. "That's not very nice, Finny. Don't chew on Grandma! Turn her back, please!"

Finn, of course, was too young to actually do that, so when Victoria managed to finally wrestle the bear away from her son, and he was wailing loudly, she immediately turned Gwen back.

"Are you all right?" Victoria asked, noticing the bite marks on Gwen's arm. "Can I get you ointment or ice for those bites?"

"No," Gwen shook her head. "Thank you though. I got what I asked for, so I can't complain too much, can I?"

Mikael then asked, "Would you like me to help you with your war wounds, Gwendolyn?"

"Sure," Gwen nodded. "Why not?" She then took his hand and they headed to the kitchen where he got ice to put on her arm and then, when she had it in place, they sat back on the sofa.

Victoria kept a tight grip on Finn for the rest of the visit, not sure whether she wanted to tell Kai about what their son had done to Gwen or not because she knew that if he knew, he would just encourage him.

* * *

"You know, I enjoy this," Adrian told Kai as they hung around Kai and Victoria's house with Molly and Ginger. The little cocker spaniel had finally decided to come out of hiding and, as was her custom, was sticking very close to Molly. "What does it say about me if the only person I've felt completely comfortable with in my whole life is you?"

"I would say you have very good taste," Kai smiled. "But if there's ever a time you don't want me to bring Molly over with me, just say so."

"You know, she's changed my mind about children somewhat," Adrian remarked. "Or at least magical ones, anyway." He paused. "And it's not that I don't like having her around, but I'm sure Victoria's given you lectures about how it would be better for her to spend more time with kids her own age."

"You know, we've tried that," Kai said. "Victoria's got a playgroup that she takes the twins to with a couple of other kids and so far, Molly just hasn't gotten along with them."

"That's okay," Adrian said as he picked Molly up. "You're too good for those other kids anyway. What do you need them for?"

Molly seemed to agree with him on that. She situated herself between Adrian and her father and reveled in the fact that she was getting more attention now than she did from any of the kids at play group.

* * *

The next time Molly went to playgroup, Adrian insisted on coming along with Victoria.

"Why?" She asked. "I really don't think you'd like it there. Too many children in one place."

"Well, Kai says that the other kids ignore her," Adrian explained. "And I just want to make that stop happening."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Victoria asked. "Not by hurting any of the other kids, I hope? And they're babies. You really can't force them to do anything."

"We'll see about that," Adrian replied with narrowed eyes, which made Victoria somewhat worried.

Oddly enough though, this was the first day in a bit that Molly actually had some fun at play group. Sarah busied herself with Finn, which left Molly and Junior to play together, and they did.

"It's so nice to see Molly have someone to play with," Victoria told Mary. "And Junior is doing so well with her, sharing his toys and all that."

"He probably doesn't even mean what he's doing," Adrian huffed. "He's probably just leading her on because Sarah won't play with him and he wants to make her jealous."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Mary told her father in law. "What would make you say something like that about your own grandson?"

"Well, think about it," Adrian replied. "Every time they do this, he doesn't pay any attention to Molly cause he's got Sarah to pay attention to. But now Sarah is otherwise occupied, so look who gets all his attention. Who taught him that sort of behavior?"

"No one taught it to him," Mary replied indignantly. "He's just playing with his friend. There's nothing wrong with that!"

"He's not her friend!" Adrian replied and took Molly off the blanket, holding her so that she could look at Junior over his shoulder. "He's a conniving little liar! She deserves better!" He stomped off then and soon, Mary and Victoria heard a car drive away.

"Why did I leave the damn keys in the car?" Victoria grumbled. "What was I thinking? Now I'm gonna have to zap myself home!"

"I think I liked him better when he didn't have any interest in children at all," Mary added.

"Where'd Molly go?" Christine asked when she came back from the bathroom.

"Apparently Adrian thought that she and Junior were hitting it off too well, so he took her home," Mary informed her. "He's just being his usual weird self."

"I won't bring him next week," Victoria told them as she turned her attention to Finn and Sarah. "I promise. I think that would be better for everyone."


	23. Give In To Me

"What's the matter with you?" Malachai asked Helene as she came to sit next to him in the library. "You look exhausted."

Helene sighed. "I was just talking with my ex," she said, leaning against him as he put his arms around her. "He got into a scuffle the other day and I wanted to know why. I shouldn't have done it, I know, but Sarah was there when it happened and I was worried for her."

"Was she in danger?" Malachai asked.

"No, she wasn't," Helene shook her head. "And may I say, thank you for having a much better head on your shoulders than Adrian does."

"You're welcome," Malachai replied. "What can I do to help you forget about this? You want to help me make dinner?"

"What are you making?" Helene asked. "I didn't know you could cook!"

Malachai got a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I can do lots of things. Just you wait and see." He turned and took a few steps before realizing that Helene wasn't following him, then he turned around to face her. "Are you coming?" He asked. "I thought you wanted to see me cook."

"What, we're doing that now?" Helene asked, her jaw dropping a little. "And there's _actual_ cooking involved?" She flushed a deep red and averted her eyes from his gaze because she knew what she said next would make him laugh at her. "I thought that was just a euphemism."

He didn't laugh, but when she looked up again, he was smirking a little. "Oh, don't worry about that," he said. "There'll be plenty of time later." He paused. "Unless you'd like to skip food and move on to other things?"

Her stomach rumbled before she could answer. "I guess that answers your question," she said. "So…lead the way to the kitchen and I'll follow you."

"Oh, I couldn't do that," He said putting her ahead of him. "Ladies first. I insist."

"All right," Helene heaved an exaggerated sigh. "If you say so." She knew perfectly well why he wanted her to go ahead of him and it had nothing to do with ladies first, which is why she did a little sashay and wiggle as she walked.

When they reached the kitchen, he took her by the arms and embraced her, his eyes dark with passion, his breathing heavy. He then crashed his lips against hers, and as her hands played with his hair, she found herself thinking how convenient it was that she'd worn one of her slightly longer skirts that pushed up more easily.

As she felt her skirt sliding upward, she reached down to unzip his pants. His lips moved to her neck and gently brushed her skin. They broke apart for a second, a wicked twinkle in Helene's eyes as she dropped her panties and they fell to her ankles. "Should we?" She asked.

"Oh, I want to," he said, his eyes closed and his pants unzipped. He was clearly trying very hard to control himself. "But I can't…I can't do it in here!"

"Cause it's not sanitary to do it in a kitchen?" Helene asked.

"Exactly," Malachai replied and zipped his pants up. He wanted for her to adjust her panties and skirt before taking her in his arms again. "When I take you, I have every intention of it being in the comfort of my bed. Not on the floor or pushed up against wall because we have no other place to go."

"Yeah," Helene let out a deep sigh. "I understand. And we're still getting into a normal pattern with Sarah and we can't let anything interrupt that."

"Exactly!" Malachai nodded. "If her parents found out that we were constantly consumed by passion, her father, at least, would probably use it as an excuse to take her away. You can wait, can't you?"

"I can," Helene promised and kissed his hand. "I don't want to wait, but I can."

"Good," Malachai nodded, taking her in his arms to kiss her again as a way to seal the deal.

* * *

"Okay," Helene said as they pulled apart and he began rooting around for pots and pans as they remembered what they actually came in there for. "What are we making?"

"Whatever you want," Malachai replied.

"I don't know if you want me making decisions," Helene told him hesitantly. "If I get that power, I sort of tend to take over and I don't want to do that with you. I don't want to drive you away."

"I won't let you do that," Malachai promised her. "Now, what do you want for dinner?"

"Steak?" Helene asked. "Do we have any steak?"

"We do now," Malachai smiled, zapping it up.

As she stood up on a stool to get the seasonings out of the cabinet, Malachai couldn't help but stand behind her and marvel at how long her skirt made her lovely legs look. It also showed off the curve of her bottom. He made a noise in his throat which made her turn around and lose her footing on the stool. He caught her and she asked, "What was that noise? Are you okay?"

"Yes," Malachai replied. "I just…I couldn't help but think how nice you look and it made my mind wander again." He sniffed. "Is that lilac you're wearing? I really like it."

"Yeah," Helene smiled as he helped her stand up. "Thank you for noticing."

"Why don't I get the spices and things so I can stay focused?" He offered.

"Not a problem," Helene smiled. "I like that idea."

So she stood behind him and took in the view, and they made steak and potatoes and broccoli together, then ate it sitting next to each other at the table while talking and playing footsie between bites.

"This is nice to do this when it's just us," Helene remarked as she got up to clear the dishes. "So peaceful and quiet."

"Yes," Malachai smiled. "Now you sit. I'll pick the dishes up."

"Well, thank you," Helene inclined her head. "That's very nice of you."

He zapped the dishes clean and then came back to the table. "What do you want to do now?" He asked. "Would you like to kiss some more?" He paused. "Sorry. Am I sounding too much like your ex-husband?"

"No," Helene said with a smile, her brown eyes warm as she came to put her arms around him. "You could never sound like Adrian, no matter how much you tried. And that is a _very_ good thing."

* * *

" _Please_ tell me that you're worried about Adrian's behavior around Molly too," Victoria said to Kai.

"What's there to worry about?" Kai told her. "I never really liked the idea of Molly going to that play group anyway. If the other kids are ignoring her, what's the point?"

"We can't just give up!" Victoria replied. "Being properly socialized is important. Think about how much better _your_ life got when you had someone to talk to."

"Well, don't _we_ think highly of ourselves?" Kai smiled.

"You know I'm right," Victoria said, ignoring this last remark. "You don't want Molly to end up bitter and homicidal like you because she doesn't have any friends."

"I have friends!" Kai corrected. "I have Adrian!"

"So…two lonely homicidal people bonding together," Victoria said. "That's real promising."

"It is!" Kai nodded. "It really is. Adrian and you are the most important people in my life!"

"Why did you say Adrian first?" Victoria asked jokingly. "Do you wish you would have married him and not me?"

"What made you say something like that?" Kai wanted to know.

"I was only teasing," Victoria replied. "Calm down." She kissed him and then he went to go get Molly and Finn so they could have some family time.

"Okay, you two," He told them firmly as Victoria came to take Finn and lighten his load. "If you're going to be doing any magic, do something small, okay? Your mother and I just want to rest tonight."

Finn gave his father a face that very clearly said, 'What are you telling me that for? I'm not the one you need to worry about'. And Molly just giggled.

Their parents got out their toys and hoped for the best. Luckily, it was a quiet night, magic-wise, anyway. Finn and Molly got into a fight over a toy that ended them scratching each other, but once they were pulled apart, things lapsed into quiet again, and eventually, the two fell asleep, their parents put them to bed, and then Kai led Victoria back to their room so they could change for the evening.

"You know, I think we need to spend more time in the playroom," he remarked as Victoria climbed into bed. "It's been some time since we've been in there."

"Well, what would you like to do in there?" Victoria wanted to know. "Cause I could zap up a whip or something right now if you want."

"Okay," Kai smiled.

After making sure that the spell on the door was still working so no noise would get out and wake the twins, Victoria cuffed Kai to the bed, zapped on a short leather dress, and took whip in hand, bringing it down three times on his bare stomach, which caused him to burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" She asked, getting right in his face. "You shouldn't be laughing."

"Why not?" He asked. "Pain…pain is funny."

She smiled. "Well, let's see how much this makes you laugh." She whipped him some more, and then, with a quick twist of his wrists, he broke free of the cuffs, grabbed her, and threw her down on the mattress. "I win," he said, his tongue sliding slowly over his bottom lip.

Victoria reached up toward his stomach, running her hands gently over the tracks of blood from the whip before bringing her hand toward her mouth and slowly licking the blood up.

"Good?" Kai asked.

"Yeah," Victoria nodded and pulled herself up to sit. "May I have some more?"

"Of course," Kai nodded. "Be my guest."

She kissed his neck a few times, then felt him tense slightly as she bit down and felt his warm, sweet blood trickle down her throat. "Good," she moaned. " _Good_."

He then bit down on her, and when he pulled away after licking the extra blood off her neck, he said, "I could say the same about you, you know, before joining his mouth with hers, and, after deftly removing brief leather outfit, slipping inside her and burying himself deep as she cried out his name and braced herself against the mattress.


	24. Just Because I Like You

"Come in," Malachai called as he began brushing his teeth while standing shirtless at his bathroom sink before bed. He was barefoot too, his hair was damp and tousled, and the only thing he was wearing was a pair of old gray sweat pants.

The door opened and he heard a little squeak. "Oh, sorry," Helene apologized when he turned, even though she made no effort to move away from the door and her eyes were clearly glued to his upper torso. "I had no idea you'd just gotten out of the shower."

"Is that so?" Malachai asked after removing the toothbrush from his mouth and placing it on the counter.

"No," Helene admitted and came to sit on the edge of the tub. "I've been waiting in your room to say 'good night' ever since the water turned on." She watched him. "Take your time brushing your teeth," she urged, crossing one leg over the other, which moved the skirt of her red silk night gown and exposed her thighs. She noticed this, but didn't bother moving her skirt to cover them up.

Malachai watched her for a few more seconds then slowly brushed his teeth while looking in the mirror and focusing on her reflection behind him. After he'd spat and washed the sink out, he then came over to pull Helene to her feet and give her a deep kiss goodnight.

"Thanks," she said after they pulled apart. He didn't bother to straighten the patch of hair she'd tousled. "How long until you and I become roommates, hmmm?"

Malachai chuckled at her bluntness. "I didn't expect you to be the physical type," he said. "I thought I was going to have to turn you in that direction."

"Oh, no," Helene shook her head and spoke earnestly. "I have _no_ problem with being physical. In fact, that was one of the few things about my relationship with Adrian that was _not_ problematic. I'm _very_ physical. And used to having my physical needs met speedily. I can't wait to have it done by someone as handsome as you." She came closer to him so that she could reach out and put a warm hand on his chest. "So…what's the answer to my question?"

Malachai chuckled. "You're very sweet," he said, gently tracing her bottom lip with his finger. "But flattery is not going to get you anywhere. You'll have to wait just like we planned. But I'll make it worth your while, my sweet. I promise."

Helene stepped away, giggling like an idiot as she did every time he spoke to her like that, then said a quick 'good night' and ran from the room, slamming her own bedroom door behind her and throwing herself down on her bed, kicking the mattress and rolling around squealing until she got tangled in her sheets and fell to the floor with a thud.

Malachai heard the thud and ran to check on her, arriving just as she was standing up from the floor with her hand on her head and a wince on her face. "What in the world happened?" He asked as he went to check her bump. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Helene sighed. "I just fell out of bed is all. No harm done."

Malachai took her face in his hands. "Be careful," he told her, his dark eyes staring deeply into hers. "I don't want you to be hurt."

"Okay," Helene nodded. "I'll try to not fall out of bed in the future."

"Good," Malachai replied and gave her another kiss. "You think you'll be able to get back to sleep?"

"What would happen if I told you 'No'?" Helene asked, trying her luck again. "Would we get to have a sleepover?"

"In a sense," Malachai nodded. "You'd have to tell me what side of the bed you fell off of, then I would put myself there so that if you fell out of bed again, you'd land on me and not the floor."

"Would that be helpful?" Helene asked, running her hands lightly over his hard muscles. "You're not exactly soft, you know."

"I'm glad you noticed," Malachai replied. He stepped away and left the room then and Helene sat down on her bed and sighed deeply as she tucked herself in. She'd given it a shot. She could always try again tomorrow. A few minutes later, however, he returned, and set up a mattress, blanket, and pillow on the floor next to her bed. "Is this the side you fell off of?" He asked.

"Yes," she said immediately. "Just set yourself up right there. You're so nice to do this. I'll try to be more coordinated this time around."

"No, I'm happy to do it," Malachai told her. "You can't be too careful, can you? Good night, Helene.

"Good night," Helene replied. She flipped off the light and shut her eyes, and when she was sure that Malachai was asleep, she got up out of the bed and came around to the other side, taking a place next to him under the blanket and put his arm around her as she fell asleep again beside him, hoping he wouldn't be too shocked to see her in the morning.

* * *

"Well, look who it is!" Kai said when he opened the door and saw Malachai standing on the other side. "I was thinking you'd forgotten all about us!"

"I know I haven't been around much," Malachai said as he took Molly in his arms. "And I'm sorry about that. I've just been preoccupied with so many things lately. Sarah and Percy and…but Helene's out and about so I thought I would come."

"Who's Percy?" Kai asked as he and his uncle went to sit down. "Is he another one?"

"Yeah, he is," Malachai nodded. "And now that the school's closed down, we've been seeing him a lot more. Some nights he stays home with his mother, but it's not often."

"And what does his mother think about him spending all this time with you, I wonder?" Kai asked. "He's not an adult yet, is he?"

"Of course not," Malachai replied. "In fact, he's the second youngest after Sarah. I've wondered myself when his mother is going to show up at the door and read Helene and me the riot act or have us otherwise prosecuted for kidnapping." He shrugged. "But then again, he says that he and his mother aren't very close, so maybe that's why we've never seen her."

"How's Helene?" Kai asked. "I want you to know that I'm glad you and she are happy and I have every intention of showing some interest in it because if you think about it, outside this house, you're one of the few family members that I have around."

"Well, isn't that nice," Malachai smiled. "Does that mean you and your cousin Sean haven't made up yet?"

"We're seeing how it goes," Kai told him. "You know we've never been close, exactly."

"Yes, and whose fault is that?" Malachai replied dryly.

"The person whose fault it always is," Kai replied simply. "Mom's."

"That wasn't the answer I was looking for, but I suppose it's true nonetheless," Malachai conceded.

"All right," Victoria called a few minutes later. "I've got your chips and the frozen pizza, Kai! And some other stuff too. Wanna come help me with the bags? Or your son? And is that your uncle's car out front, or am I hallucinating?"

"No, you're not," Kai told her and came to take one of the shopping bags, which he snatched out of the air. Victoria held another bag in one hand, and the carrier where Finn was resting in the other.

"I assume he behaved himself at the grocery store?" Kai asked, returning to grab his son after he put the bag of groceries in the kitchen.

"Oh, yes, he did," Victoria smiled. "He really loves the grocery store. And he was quite a help too."

"Did he use magic?" Kai smiled and then went to tickle Finn. "Did you use magic at the grocery store, Finny?"

"Yep," Victoria said, coming to stand next to her husband as Finn smiled up at both of them. "But only once though. I was looking for ice cream in one of the freezers and the flavor I wanted was in the back. He brought it out for me. I don't know why I didn't think of doing that myself."

"Cause you didn't want to be caught doing magic in a grocery store full of humans?" Kai guessed. "I keep telling you, Vicky, you need to shop early in the morning at a 24-hour mart. You go at like, two a.m. and you could do all the magic you wanted. If anyone saw, they would just pass it off as a tired hallucination."

Victoria then looked at Malachai. "Do you believe your nephew?" She asked. "Suggesting I go to the grocery store that early just so I can do magic and not get caught. That is a time for sleeping. Not for grocery shopping."

"Or we could just zap it up and not leave the house at all," Kai suggested. "That's an option too."

"No," Victoria shook her head and went to sit next to Malachai. "The stuff that a person zaps up never tastes as good as the stuff bought at the store. Plus I wouldn't want to deprive Finny of his good time."

Kai shrugged and went to get his chips and when he was sitting on the sofa and eating them, and Malachai was playing on the floor with Molly, Victoria looked at the clock.

"Oh!" She said, standing up quickly. "I have to leave to go see Adrian. If I don't go now, I'll be late!"

"Why do you have to go see Adrian?" Kai asked. "You're not going to yell at him about Molly, are you?"

"No," Victoria shook her head. "I realized that I might have been judgmental toward him and I feel like I should take time to get to know him as well as you do."

"I'm coming too," Kai said and stood up. Then he looked at his uncle. "Would you mind watching the twins while we're gone? It won't be long."

"Oh, stay as long as you want," Malachai told him, taking Finn. "I can handle it. You two have a good time."

* * *

"I tried to explain to him that we both decided on this meeting together and promised him that I would be nice to you, but he didn't believe me, so that's why he's here," Victoria explained to Adrian when he looked surprised to see both of them standing at his front door.

"Well, I'm not gonna complain about that," Adrian replied. "The more the merrier."

"And that's something he's not said very often," Kai smiled. "He hates people."

"Not _all_ people," Adrian corrected. "Just most of them."

A few minutes later, Rusty came trotting in, paused by Victoria, and began sniffing her.

"Hi, Rusty!" Victoria greeted and held her hand out. He decided she was acceptable and let her scratch him behind the ears. "Does he miss Helene?" She asked. Then blushed. "Or do we not talk about that?"

"No, we can talk about it," Adrian assured her. "Helene and I still talk sometimes. We actually get along much better now than we did when we were married. And sometimes she comes to visit him, but he's coping really well with her being gone."

"Well, that's wonderful," Victoria smiled. "And thanks for all your help with Molly. I don't seem to be able to handle her well myself, so it's nice to know there's more than one person who can."

"You're welcome," Adrian smiled. "When's the next time she goes to play group? I promise I won't cause trouble this time. And is she really that bad around you? Maybe we'll have to work on that."

"Good luck," Victoria scoffed. "We've tried everything, but nothing's worked. I mean, she'll let me close to her if she's in some sort of terrible distress, like after Edele possessed her for the first time, but just on a day-to-day basis, it doesn't seem like she needs me. I mean, it's good that she's independent, and I know I still have Finny, but I can't help feeling a little hurt."

"Well, like I said," Adrian told her, "sometime, you, Molly, and me will get in the same room and we'll work on getting her to behave better around you. Cause you're a good person and if she's not getting along with you, she's missing out."

"Thank you," Victoria said in surprise. "That's very nice of you to say."

"You're welcome," Adrian told her. "I meant it too."

"Don't worry about it, Vicky," Kai assured her. "If I learned to like you when I hated you at first, I'm sure we can get Molly in the same place. I've said it before, and I'll say it again."

"I guess you're right," Victoria smiled. "If I can get _you_ to like me, I can do it with anyone."


	25. What She's Been Waiting For

"Well this is a surprise," Malachai said when he opened the door on the day Sarah was supposed to come back for the week and finding Matthew on the other side and not Christine. "Hello, Matthew."

"Hello," Matthew told him, trying to make his voice sound light and cheerful and not like he wanted to kill the man at the door. "I know you probably wish Christine would have brought Sarah, but she's out and about now, so I had to bring Sarah myself."

"I understand," Malachai replied. "Come in."

"Thank you," Matthew replied and stepped into the house. "Is Helene around?"

"No, she's out too, just like Christine." He paused. "Wouldn't it be just like our wives to conveniently get out of the way so we'd be thrown together like this and have no choice but to get along?"

"I never thought of it that way," Matthew replied and sat down as Sarah reached for Malachai. "But now that you mention it, I have to wonder if those sneaky women were planning this all along."

"They probably have," Malachai agreed. "I'll be asking Helene about that later on tonight."

"As I will with Christine," Matthew replied.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and then Malachai asked, "Would you like a beer or something?"

"Actually, I'm more of a whiskey person," Matthew told him. But then he looked down at Sarah. "I really don't think I should be drinking around Sarah, though. I need to keep my wits about me."

"Oh, Sarah," Malachai chided the baby and took her in his lap. "Have you been making your father nervous with your magic, you naughty girl?"

Sarah just gave him a look that said, 'Who, me?' and then cuddled against him.

Matthew gave them a long look, trying hard as he could to be supportive of their bonding, but then stood up and said, "You know what? I think I'll have that beer now."

"All right," Malachai nodded and put Sarah in her play pen. "Coming right up."

As they sat in different chairs in the living room, drinking their drinks and not saying a word, Percy came in and dropped his bag by the door.

"Did someone come to drop off Sarah?" He asked Malachai. He had a fondness for his baby sister. He was even doing more than Malachai or Helene to teach her magic. "I'll take her for a bit."

"No, no!" Malachai said. "You don't have to do that. Stay in here and talk with us!"

So Percy came in, pushed his dark hair out of his eyes, and picked Sarah up out of her play pen while staring at Matthew. "I'm sorry," he said. "I don't believe I've seen you before. What's your name?"

"I'm Matthew," Matthew told him and then took a swig from the beer bottle. "I'm Sarah's father."

"Oh," Percy nodded. "The one who tried to shoot Malachai."

"That wasn't my fault!" Matthew replied. "He stole my daughter! And it's not like the bullets hit him anywhere anyway."

Sensing that saying anything more on the subject would lead to an unnecessary fight, Percy decided to drop it and take Sarah to his room. "You two enjoy talking," he said quickly. "I'll even take Sarah off your hands so you don't have to worry about her."

"Good," Matthew replied. "Better you than him. I _like_ you."

Percy just rolled his eyes, hoped that Helene would be back soon, and when he and Sarah were alone in his room, he told her. "I know they're both crazy, but it's because they love you. I wish I had that many people who loved me. I guess I've got a place here, but that's not the same as being so loved that you have two sets of people fighting to want to parent you and then getting jealous when the other pair has a turn. You're so lucky." He leaned over her to kiss her and tickle her stomach and then she reached up and he cuddled with her. He knew that he was a teenager and that she was a baby, but if he were totally honest with himself, she was the first person who had ever made him feel entirely, unconditionally loved. And that was one of the reasons he came over here so often. Not because Malachai was his father, even though that had been nice to find out. But because of the happy little baby who liked to be hugged and played with and didn't care about his grades or what he was gonna do in the future, or what hanging out with his shifty friends would mean for the life that his mother had worked so hard to build for him.

He kept the door open a crack, though, so he could hear what Matthew and Malachai were up to and run into the living room to stop any trouble that arose. He hoped he'd never have to do that, but it never hurt to be prepared.

* * *

"I am so proud of you for taking Sarah to Malachai's by yourself and not killing him in the process," Christine told Matthew as they drove over to Elijah and Selina's to visit that night as a reward for what Matthew had done. Victoria and Eva were watching Sarah along with the twins while they went out. "I was hoping that's what would happen when Helene and I decided to go out today."

"It was a sneaky thing of you to do," Matthew replied, his hands tight on the steering wheel. "You might have at least warned me first."

"You know you wouldn't have taken her unless you absolutely had to," Christine reminded him. "You know that and I know that. But next time, I'll tell you beforehand. Deal?"

"All right," Matthew nodded. "Deal."

They sat in silence until they reached Selina and Elijah's house, then went to knock on the door and be let in. Selina hugged her father and Christine hugged _her_ father, then they went to the kitchen to get some wine.

"So, long day, I take it," Elijah said to Matthew. "Given the purpose of this little get-together, I mean."

Matthew sighed. "It's always a long day when Sarah has to go see Malachai and Helene. Then I don't get to see her for a _whole_ week." He looked at his daughter. "You have experience with this. Do you think it's going to mess her up, being passed back and forth like this? It didn't work so well for you, did it?"

"Well, not really," Selina admitted. "But Helene is great with children, and while I don't know much about Malachai, Helene thinks a lot of him, so Sarah should be all right. She seems perfectly fine."

"You can't always go on how Helene judges character," Elijah replied. "Remember how highly she thought of Adrian."

"Hey, that's my son you're talking about!" Selina cried. "And I know he's made some mistakes and has issues with children, but he's not a bad guy most of the time. You and I made sure of that when he was a boy, remember?"

"True," Elijah conceded. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Selina replied. Then she turned to her father. "Don't worry," she said again. "I'm sure that Sarah will come out of her childhood a lot better than I did. In fact, I can guarantee it."

"Good," Matthew nodded. "Cause I wonder sometimes."

"On another subject," Christine said quickly before they could lapse into an uncomfortable silence, "how have you two been doing? Not too bored because the school closed down, I hope?"

"Oh, no," Elijah shook his head. "In fact, the closing of the school was fortuitous. It gives us time to work on a project we've wanted to do for quite some time."

"Well, how nice!" Christine smiled. "It's always nice to have time to work on things like that."

"It is," Elijah nodded. "I hope it comes to something soon."

"Yeah," Selina nodded and rested her head on Elijah's shoulder. "Me too." She then sat up and said, "Sorry, I haven't offered anyone anything yet. Is anyone hungry? In either sense of the word?"

"I wouldn't mind some blood," Matthew remarked.

"Yeah, me too," Christine agreed.

So Selina went to get them some and then she and Matthew went to a shooting range to help him deal with his anger while Christine and Elijah stayed home, he taught her how to play chess, and, and they talked about this and that until their spouses came home and, after a call to Victoria, decided to spend the rest of the day and then the night at Selina and Elijah's house.

* * *

"Sorry about what Christine and I did today," Helene apologized to Malachai at dinner. "But we just…we thought it was high time you and Matthew learned how to get along."

"Why are you including me in that?" Malachai wanted to know. "When have I ever _not_ gotten along with Matthew? He shot at _me_! He antagonized _me!_ And I did nothing to deserve that!"

"Point taken," Helene nodded and reached for his hand. "I'm sorry."

Malachai side and leaned across the table to kiss her. "You're a very sneaky person," he told her.

"And is that a bad thing?" Helene asked with a smile.

"No," Malachai shook his head and gave her a wink. "I like that in a woman." He paused, taking her hand in his and twirling her around so that he could get a good look at what she was wearing. "Why don't you go change in to something more comfortable after we finish eating? Surely you don't want to be wearing those tight heels and your regular clothes this late in the day? Why don't you go put on a bathrobe or something?"

"Okay," Helene replied. She was beginning to feel excited. She ate her dinner a lot quicker than usual, and to Malachai's surprise, managed not to choke before running out of the dining room and going to change her clothes while Malachai prepared to surprise her with the thing that he knew she wanted so badly.

When she returned, she didn't see Malachai anywhere. She called out his name, but got nothing in reply, so she decided to push up the sleeves of her robe and occupy herself with washing the dinner dishes until he came back. It wasn't long, however, until she heard soft footsteps.

"Guess what I got you?" Malachai whispered right up against her earlobe as he came up behind her and wrapped one hand around her waist.

"What?" She giggled. "What did you get me?"

He undid her robe and let it fall to her feet, then pulled out a red rose from behind his back, gently running it down her bare neck and over her collarbone. The gentle touches combined with the hot look in his eyes when she turned to look at him made her just want to throw herself at him. But he put a hand on her chest to stop her.

"Go sit," he ordered.

Pouting, she sat down and watched as he stripped down in front of her until his clothes lay in a pile around him. Then he came over, grabbed her, and sat her down on the kitchen table, her legs wrapped around his waist as he buried himself inside her, grabbed her face in both hands, and kissed her so deeply, she felt like she couldn't breathe. Then he broke the kiss, pulling in and out of her as she moaned loudly with every sharp, hard thrust that filled her body.

When he pulled out for the last time and braced himself against the counter, they were both panting loudly. Malachai still held the stem of the rose tightly in one hand while Helene tried to stand up on unsteady legs that wanted so badly to give out and let her fall to the floor in a puddle.

"Here you go," he said as he held her steady. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Helene nodded and let out a breath. "Wow…that was…that was…wow."

Malachai chuckled. "Was that what you were hoping for since you weren't wearing anything under your robe?"

"Oh, I am _always_ hoping for that," Helene replied.

"Good," Malachai nodded. "Next time, though, it will be in a bed, I promise."

"I wouldn't worry," Helene assured him. "Apparently, a nice and sturdy table works just as well."

* * *

"I think it was such a good idea for us to do this," Victoria said to Eva as they sat in Kai and Victoria's living room. "Don't you agree with me?"

"Oh, yes," Eva smiled as they gazed at their husbands who were standing on opposite sides of the room and refusing to come any closer, even though the twins and Sarah, who were crawling around their feet, were trying to get them closer together. "Even if our husbands are being stubborn, at least we get to see each other."

It was then that Kai moved from his corner. "Wait," he said to Victoria. "You mean, you're not gonna force Sean and me to get along?"

"No," Victoria shrugged. "I mean, we thought we'd give it a shot, but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. You can ignore each other all you want even though you're one of the few family members the other has. Doesn't that count for something?"

"Oh, here it comes," Kai sighed. "Fine." He headed over to his cousin. "We have to do a bonding thing. What should it be?" He turned to face a bigger version of the picture that had fallen out of Sean's wallet. "There's another picture of your girlfriend. What's her name?"

Sean sighed. "Olivia," he said. "Her name is Olivia."

"There now," Kai slapped him on the shoulder before putting his arm around him. "Was that so hard?"

"No," Sean sighed heavily. "I guess not."

"Now," Kai continued and took Molly in his lap as Sean took hold of Finn and Sarah, who were more than happy to sit together. "How did you meet her?"

"My mom knew her," Sean explained. "That's all I'm going to tell you. The rest isn't interesting."

Kai sighed. "I wish Aunt Bridget was still around so I could ask her. She'd probably tell me."

"No, she wouldn't," Sean shook his head. "And there's a reason for that." He looked urgently at Victoria. "Can we get a change of subject, please?"

"Of course," Victoria nodded. "Kai, stop pestering Sean and think of something else to talk about."

"But I'm trying to show interest in his life!" Kai cried. "What's so bad about that?"

"When people don't want to tell you things, that's called prying," Victoria replied. "It's a bad thing."

"Have you ever tried taking the twins swimming?" Eva asked suddenly.

"No, I don't think we have," Victoria remarked, grateful for the sudden change of subject. "We don't have a pool, though."

"Now we do," Kai replied with a quick zap. "Now, are we going swimming _with_ suits, or without them?"

"With," Sean told him. "If it was without, I would have to gouge out my eyes." He zapped on a suit and went in search of the pool, while Eva followed suit and took Sarah from him.

"What are you doing?" Victoria asked as Kai went into the kitchen and came back with a plate full of food. "Are you gonna eat in the pool?"

"Yes," Kai nodded. "If I sit on one of those floating recliners it shouldn't be a problem.

"All right," Victoria sighed. "Given how Molly handles bath time, I wonder about her being in a pool."

"She'll do great," Kai said. "You need to stop worrying."

"All right, I'll try," Victoria replied and zapped herself into a tiny black bikini that made Kai drop his plate and his jaw.

"Looks like you dropped something," she said and kissed him before sashaying off in the direction of the pool as he chased after her.


	26. Thick Tension In The Air

"Thank you for taking me on that camping trip," Percy told Malachai for what seemed like the millionth time. "I had a good time."

"I'm really glad you did," Malachai smiled at him. "I'm sorry about the tent, though. You would think that with all the adventures I had, I would know how to put a tent up."

"That's all right," Percy told him. "That's what we have magic for."

"So tell me about your trip," Helene told them. "Did you have fun?"

"I would say we did," Percy smiled. "I mean I really enjoyed myself."

"Well, that's wonderful!" Helene smiled. "I'm glad you two were able to do this together and bond."

Percy nodded and looked at Malachai. "And I'd like to do it again sometime, if that's all right with you."

"Sure," Malachai replied and gave him a cautious hug, which Percy quickly returned. "Any time."

They were still hugging when Helene came in with Sarah. She tried not to make any noise that would alert the men to the fact that she was watching and make them self-conscious enough to pull apart.

When they finally did, Percy noticed her almost immediately. "Hello, Helene," he said.

"Don't you worry about me," Helene told him, put Sarah in her high chair, and busied herself looking for something in the refrigerator. "I didn't see a thing."

"I don't mind that you saw," Percy replied. "That doesn't bother me." He looked at Malachai. "Does it bother you?"

"No," Malachai shook his head. "It doesn't."

"Well, good," Helene smiled. "Are you two making plans for another outing?"

"I'd like that," Percy said. "But I don't know when it will be. I have a feeling a storm is brewing at work."

"Why?" Helene asked. "What's happening?"

"Well, Steve came by the office the other day while Clarence was out and asked me to look up someone for him so he would have justification to bring her back to life like was done for two of her friends. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case."

"And he's gonna bring her back anyway?" Helene asked.

"Of course he is!" Percy nodded. "This is _Steve_ we're talking about! If he wants to do something, he does it without giving a care about the legalities." He paused. "I just hope I don't get in trouble for enabling him."

"Why would they blame you?" Malachai asked. "You told him that there was no way what he wanted would work, right? I'm sure that once you explain that to Clarence, you'll be in the clear,"

"Oh, I hope so," Percy replied and bit his nails for a bit before picking up Sarah and giving her a hug. That always made him feel better.

"If there's anything I can do to help you with this Steve business, just let me know," Malachai told him. "Because I will."

"Thank you," Percy said. "Not that there's anything to worry about yet, but I just…I have a feeling."

"Well, you know that if something goes wrong, I'm here for you and so is Helene," Malachai told him.

"Yeah," Helene agreed. "I may not actually work at the Council anymore, but there are a few people I still know that could stick up for you."

"Thanks," Percy said and sat down. But Malachai noticed he was still tense and shaky.

"You know," he said, "When I was looking for magical artifacts in the jungles of Brazil, I learned of a potion that can help calm nerves. Warriors drank it before they engaged in battle and I hear it's supposed to really work. Want me to make some for you?"

"That's really nice," Percy told him. "But I don't know. Is it full of disgusting stuff like eyeballs? Cause if it is, I'm not drinking it, no matter how calm it will make me."

"No, you won't see eyeballs floating in it or anything," Malachai promised. "Everything is liquid."

"All right," Percy nodded. "I'll give it a shot. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome," Malachai replied and then went down to his basement to see if he had all the right ingredients for the potion.

"You need help making it?" Helene called. "Cause I can help you!"

"No, thanks," Malachai called back. "I think I can manage."

He made up the potion and when it was done, brought it up to Percy to try. Percy took a gulp and his eyes widened. "Well, that's very potent, isn't it?"

"Sorry," Malachai quickly apologized. "I might not have watered it down enough."

After a few more gulps, Percy said, "You know, I think it's starting to work. I feel better."

"Well, good," Malachai replied and patted him on the back. "That's what we were going for."

Percy then stood up and said, "I'm actually a little tired too. I'm gonna take the rest of this to my room and go lie down."

"All right," Malachai told him. "If you need anything, let us know."

Percy left and Helene said, "Are you sure you should have given him that? What if it hurts him? Just because it does good for people in the Amazon doesn't mean it will work the same way for Percy!"

"We'll watch out for him," Malachai assured her. "I'll go sit by his bed and if anything happens, we can take him to the hospital. But really, I think he'll be fine."

"Good," Helene nodded. "I hope so." She then stayed with Sarah while Malachai headed up to Percy's room to check up on him. The boy was asleep and seemed to be breathing normally, but even so, Malachai pulled the chair from the desk and sat to watch his son until he woke up and was able to assure him that he'd handled the potion just fine.

* * *

"I thought you'd want to know that while you were out camping, I talked to my dad," Helene told Malachai later that day.

"You did?" He asked, feeling nervous. "You didn't tell him about us, did you? Or what we did on the table?"

"No!" Helene said quickly. "He's still dealing with my mom having time travel-induced amnesia. I didn't want to overwhelm him too much. He had to introduce me to Mom again so she would trust him and stuff. I didn't have a lot of time to talk to him about other things. He seems to like Sarah, though."

"I just have this terrible feeling that if your father met me, he wouldn't like me," Malachai confessed. "And I've never had to deal with a girlfriend's father before. That's what comes from shying away from commitment." He blushed a little. "Did you know that you're my first long-term relationship in a long time?"

"I am?" Helene asked. "Well, I'm honored! And don't worry about Dad. If he can handle Klaus, he can handle you. And you already know my mom." She gave him a tight hug. "You don't have anything to be nervous about. I promise. And besides, you know they're back in the past. Dad knows how to get them to the present, but he probably wants to wait until everyone knows who they are before he does so, and who knows how long that will take? That gives you enough time to come up with things to say that will dazzle him. He won't be able to do anything _but_ like you."

"And what about your mother?" Malachai asked. "I wonder if she thinks I'm still some horrible person."

"I'm sure she never thought you were a terrible person," Helene replied. "As someone who was in charge of the law, she had to frown upon sketchy behavior. But there's no need for her to worry about that now, though, right?"

"Well, no," Malachai agreed. "I'm not evil. I would never do something without good reason. If I do something sketchy, I have a good reason for it."

"Oh?" Helene said. "What other sketchy things are you doing?"

"Well, I wouldn't say they're sketchy," Malachai replied quickly. "They're just…not something your average person will understand, and they might seem sort of…insane, if you don't live in my head, but…it's to save the world from my crazy sister. Edele may be a ghost, but she's a crazy ghost. I've never trusted her and that won't stop now." He gave Helene a hug. "Do you trust me?"

"I want to," Helene nodded. "And you're positive that what you're doing is to help other people?"

"Yes," Malachai said earnestly. "It is, I promise."

"All right," Helene nodded. "I'll trust you."

"Thank you," Malachai nodded. "The magical world will thank you for that in the end, I promise."

* * *

"Your intentions are very good, Adrian," Victoria told him as she, he, and Kai sat with Molly in Adrian's living room. "But I don't know how successful this bonding exercise with me and Molly is going to be. I've tried and tried and it hasn't worked."

"Molly," Adrian said firmly as Molly stared up at him. "I want you to hug your mother, okay?" He then put Molly in Victoria's lap and while Molly didn't cuddle with her, she didn't scream bloody murder while being held by her either.

"I can't say this isn't an improvement on her normal behavior," Victoria told him. "It's better than nothing."

A few seconds later, Molly reached out for Kai, who took her while Victoria let out a sigh and hung onto the memory of the aftermath of Molly's possession by Edele where Molly had clung to her and cried her eyes out. That had been one of the first times she'd ever felt necessary to her daughter and while she wouldn't want Molly to go through that same thing, the way that situation made Molly need her had been immensely satisfying, and she wanted to have that again.

"Don't worry," Adrian told her to her surprise. "We'll try again."

"No, you don't have to," Victoria said and held on to Finn instead. "Forcing it doesn't help. Maybe it'll be better when she's older."

* * *

That night, Victoria had trouble sleeping. She watched some television with the sound off, then ate some ice cream, and after that, wandered aimlessly around the house. As she passed by Molly's half-open door, she heard little noises coming out of it. Not exactly cries of distress, but still something she thought should be investigated. She went into the room and found her daughter wide awake and on her back, her blankets pushed off her so that her bare feet were exposed.

"Hi, Miss Molly," Victoria smiled. "What's the matter? Are you having trouble sleeping too?" She fixed her blanket and then picked her up, carrying her to the rocking chair and rocking her gently.

"Let's both try and get some sleep," she said. She looked down at Molly and began humming to herself. Molly watched her for a bit, and then yawned and shut her eyes, with Victoria falling asleep not soon after, and only waking up again when Kai came to see Molly in the morning and found Victoria too.

"Well, I wondered where you went off to," he said. "Did you have trouble sleeping?"

"Yeah, a little," Victoria nodded and handed him Molly so she could sit up. "Molly was awake too when I walked by her door so I just thought I would come in and…you know, try and get her to rest. It worked, apparently."

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "And not just for her, it seems. I've gotten Finny in the kitchen for breakfast. What would you like this morning? Pancakes? Crepes?"

"Oh, yes, crepes!" Victoria cried, her eyes lighting up. "With strawberries and whipped cream!"

"And _you_ get smushed up bananas," Kai told Molly as they all headed toward the kitchen. "What a good way to start the morning!"


	27. Bringing You Closer

"Well, look who came to play group?" Mary said when she opened the door and found Adrian on the front steps of her house with Molly and Finnn in hand. "Does Victoria know you're here?"

"Yes," Adrian told his daughter-in-law. "Victoria and Kai are busy, so I told her that I would bring Molly and Finn to play group. I promise I'll behave myself this time, all right?"

"Oh, okay," Mary told him. "Come on in."

Adrian brought the twins into the house and Sarah and Finn immediately got close together and Junior began to come toward the pair, once again leaving Molly alone. "Come on," Adrian encouraged Molly. "Go over there and play too."

Molly just looked at him and crawled into his arms instead while burying her face in his shoulder. "Well, there you go," he said. "It looks like that problem is solved." He let her stay like that for a few minutes and then decided that maybe it would be best to try getting her chummy with the other kids again.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Finn crawled toward them as Adrian put Molly back on the floor and pulled at the sleeve of her pink and white striped onesie.

"How nice," Mary remarked. "Her brother is inviting her into the group."

This was true, and although Molly got attention, it was mostly from Finn while Sarah and Junior played amongst themselves despite Christine attempting to get her daughter to pay attention to Molly as well.

"Well, it's some progress, isn't it?" Mary sighed. "We can always try again some other time. I'm sure that once they can talk and stuff, then they'll all be friends."

"You think?" Adrian asked. "I don't know if I can feel that confident."

"I think it's nice how much you care for Molly," Mary told him. "It's very touching."

"Surprising too," Adrian nodded. "Considering the difficulties I had with my own kids."

"I know you struggled," Mary nodded. "But Liam turned out all right."

"You can't give me credit for that," Adrian sighed. "I think that was all Helene's doing." Then he brightened. "But at least you can't say I made things worse!"

"Well, there you go!" Mary smiled.

"I'm so sorry about Sarah," Christine apologized as she cuddled her daughter. "Somehow, she and Molly are just not mixing well. Which is weird because Helene tells me that when it's her and Malachai's week, Sarah gets along with her and Percy just fine." She shrugged. "Who knows what's going on? Maybe if we have just the two of them, we can get somewhere."

"And what will it take for you to cut your losses and realize that forced socialization of children who clearly don't get along is ridiculous?" Adrian asked. "Not that I'm saying you should give up now, but, really…how long will this go on?"

"Well, of course if we see we're getting nowhere, we'll stop," Christine assured him. "But I think it's way too soon to give up now."

* * *

"You can take a deep breath now," Adrian assured Molly when he and the twins got back to his house. "No one else will bother you. It'll just be you guys and me." He then looked up and saw his daughter Felicity sitting on the sofa. "Hi," he said. "When did you come?"

"Not too long ago," Felicity shrugged, shaking her blonde head. "I found a key under the mat and let myself in since it seemed like no one was home. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No," Adrian shook his head. "Of course not!"

He sat down and Felicity asked, "Who are the kids?"

"They're my friend Kai's children," Adrian replied. "I volunteered to watch them so their parents could have some time alone." He then saw the look on her face and said, "I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me."

"Why would I be mad at you?" Felicity asked, trying to get her expression back to neutral. She really _wasn't_ upset by the fact that her father was now bonding with children in a way he never could with her. Or maybe she was. But there was no point in dwelling on that now. It didn't do them any good the way focusing on their present relationship did. "I'm really not," she insisted. "I swear."

Adrian was still doubtful, but he decided to brush the feelings aside and introduce the twins to his daughter. "This one is Molly," he began. "And the other one is Finn."

Felicity gravitated toward Molly and picked her up. She held her for a second and then her eyes widened and she put her back down.

"What?" Adrian asked. "Do I need to change her or something?"

"No," Felicity shook her head. "She just…I got kind of a weird feeling from her."

"Oh?" Adrian asked. "What sort of a weird feeling?"

"Nothing," Felicity said quickly. "Just this wash of darkness, but…it's probably all in my head." She picked Molly up again. "No kid could be that dark. I'm just being silly."

* * *

"I don't know what's going on," Kai told Victoria as he turned the bath water on and helped Victoria out of her clothes. "First Molly wants to snuggle with you and now you're trusting Adrian to take Molly and Finn to play group? Are you deciding to loosen up? I'm amazed."

"Yeah, I don't know what's going on," Victoria shrugged as her panties fell around her ankles and she kicked them off before getting in the tub and watching Kai strip down. "I just…I don't see what the point is in worrying anymore." She zapped up some red wine and put it at the edge of the tub. "You want a glass too?" She asked Kai as he took her in his arms and began nuzzling her neck.

"Sure," Kai whispered against her ear, which sent tingles through her body. "I would love some."

But instead of zapping it up, she got out of the tub, which gave Kai the opportunity to watch her stand in front of him, naked and dripping wet. "I'll be back soon," she said. "Wait for me."

"You mean you're just gonna walk around the house without clothes on?" Kai asked, feeling a little shocked because that was so unlike his wife.

"Why not?" Victoria asked with a shrug. "No one else is here."

"Make a note to do that more often when we're alone, okay?" Kai smiled. "I'd like it very much."

Victoria smiled. "Only if you return the favor."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Kai assured her. He then watched her leave and sat tapping his fingers against the edge of the tub until she came back.

"What are you so impatient for?" She asked when she returned with his wine. "I wasn't even gone that long."

"Oh, I know," Kai replied as she handed him his wine and climbed back into the tub. "It just _seemed_ that way."

They drank their wine and put the cups by the sink before getting back under the water and holding each other close. They looked into each other's eyes for several seconds and then Kai's tongue poked out and ran slowly over his bottom lip, which made Victoria lean forward and capture his mouth with hers.

Kai then broke the kiss and began kissing down her neck before biting down and licking up the blood that was trickling slowly from the wound.

"Good?" Victoria asked, panting heavily.

"Oh, yes," Kai nodded, a wicked twinkle in his eyes. "Always. Do you want any from me?"

"Sure," Victoria nodded. "I've already fed today, but I suppose a little wouldn't hurt."

After she nibbled on him, she put some soap on a wash cloth and began cleaning him up. As she moved lower and lower with the wash cloth, she heard his breathing begin to pick up.

"Are you shivering with anticipation?" She asked, tossing the wash cloth aside and stroking him.

"Oh, my god, Vicky," Kai said as he leaned back against the tub with his eyes closed. "Vicky, you are so _naughty!"_ He let her go on for a while, then grabbed her and kissed her one more time, pushing into her as she wrapped her legs around him and water sloshed out of the tub.

"Remember that," Victoria said, her practicality returning for a moment. "We need to wipe up that water so we don't trip and fall."

"Noted," Kai replied, backing out of her and pushing into her again.

* * *

"Thanks for coming with me to do this," Percy told Helene and Malachai as they made their way into the court room again. This time, it was to make it so that he could be fully in his father's custody. "I don't think this will be difficult."

"You don't?" Helene asked, wanting to give Percy a hug. "Your mother went through all that effort to have you and you don't think she's going to care that you want to leave?"

"Well, I'm not saying she won't, but…who knows?" Percy sighed. "I guess I was just not the child that she wanted."

That was it for Malachai. Thinking of his nephew Kai, he gave Percy another hug. "After we get out of here, I'm going to introduce you to my nephew and really give the two of you a chance to talk," he said. "I think it would do you a lot of good."

"Really?" Both Helene and Percy asked at the same time. Knowing Kai as she did, Helene really wondered how much help he would be.

"Yes," Malachai nodded, looking very pleased with himself. "Really."

Although the change of custody went as easily as Percy had predicted it would, and he thought of that as a good thing, Helene couldn't help but feel a little sad for him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him in the car on the way home. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," Percy assured her. "I am, I promise."

"Cause you know if you ever aren't, you can talk to us, right?" Malachai asked.

Percy was quiet for a moment and then said, "Do you think we could stop off at Christine and Matthew's so I can see Sarah? You think they wouldn't like that?"

"I bet they'll be fine with it," Malachai told him and changed directions so that instead of going home, they were heading toward Christine and Matthew's so that Percy could get comfort from his sister.

* * *

"Do you think Percy will be okay?" Helene asked Malacha from the doorway of his bedroom that night. "I know he said he was, and you probably think I'm being silly for carrying on like this about it, but he just…his mother just got rid of him! That's gotta be hard!"

"Of course it is," Malachai told her. "And I bet he's just putting on a brave face cause he doesn't want us to worry."

"So what should we do?" Helene asked. "Get him to talk about it?"

"No!" Malachai said immediately. "We'll play along now and when he's ready to, I'm sure he'll talk to us."

"I hope so," Helene repled and bit her thumb nail before striding over and letting Malachai take her in his arms and kiss her. "Cause I really do want him to be okay."

"Speaking of people being without parents," Malachai told her as he led her to sit down on his bed, "How are you getting on? Are you worried?"

"I miss my parents, that's for sure," Helene nodded. "But Daddy's really competent with time travel stuff, and I don't feel forgetful or anything, so I guess all we can do is wait." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

"Of course," Malachai replied and pulled the covers aside, allowing her to snuggle in beside him. "I wouldn't have it any other way."


	28. Facing The Enemy Again

"Don't take the question I'm about to ask you the wrong way, but…have you noticed anything weird about Molly?" Adrian asked Kai and Victoria as the three of them sat in Kai and Victoria's living room while the twins napped.

"What would make you ask something like that?" Victoria wanted to know. She didn't mean it in an offended way, like there was absolutely nothing about Molly that would prompt such a question. She genuinely wanted to know what had happened to make him say something like that. "Were you visited by a ghost? What sort of weird stuff have you seen with Molly?"

"Well, it's nothing that I've felt personally," Adrian replied. "But my daughter stopped by while I was babysitting the twins and when she took Molly in her arms, she said that she felt a darkness. Is that weird? What reason would there be for her to feel darkness when she touched Molly?"

Kai and Victoria looked at each other and she said "Your mother," as he said "My mother."

"What?" Adrian yelled as he rose to his feet, pounded on the table, and Kai instinctively cradled Victoria's head so she wouldn't be hurt. "Has your mother hurt Molly since the body change? Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"No, no!" Kai told him quickly. "Nothing's happened to Molly since the body change, but I think that between the possession when Vicky was pregnant and the possession of Molly that led to the body change, she got some darkness in her, and no wonder."

"I have to wonder why it was so much more obvious to Felicity than it was to us," Victoria said and stood up. "Do you think we're bad people for not noticing it?"

"No," Kai shook his head. "We thought it was normal. We were used to it. But Felicity is just meeting Molly for the first time, so of course it would seem a lot more obvious to her."

"I know you're right," Victoria nodded. "I just…I'd hate to think I've done something wrong by Molly when it could have been avoided."

"You haven't," Kai said and gave her a hug while Adrian came to put his arms around her from the other side. "You've done everything you could possibly do. I'll talk to Mother and see just what's going on, all right? You don't have to worry at all."

"You will?" Victoria asked. "Thank you…that's very brave of you."

"I know," Kai nodded. "It has to be done sometime, so we might as well get it over with now."

"You want me to come with you?" Adrian asked.

"I don't know what you could specifically do to help, but I don't mind the company," Kai told him. "Let's go get this over with."

"Yeah," Victoria said, taking his hand. "Let's."

* * *

"Mother, will you talk to me?" Kai said to the empty air in Molly's bedroom while Victoria and Adrian hid in the hallway in case he needed them for backup once the twins woke up from their naps. He didn't like to have to do this, but if they were going to get to the bottom of what was going on with Molly, there was no other way to do it but talk to her directly. "Talk to me now! I want to know what you did to Molly!"

"My goodness," Edele said, drifting into the room and looking much more solid than usual. She had Finn in her arms now. "What is it that you want? You don't have to shout!"

"What have you done with Molly?" Kai cried and snatched Finn out of her grip. "Why did you fill her with darkness?"

" _You_ killed a child to give Molly life again," Edele reminded him. "Perhaps it wasn't me that made her dark. It could have been you."

Kai then tensed as Edele put a hand on Finn's cheek. "My god," she said. "He reminds me so much of his father." Then she disappeared before Kai could ask what in the world that meant. He put Finn back in his bed, left the room and went back to Adrian and Victoria.

"So?" Victoria asked. "What did she say?"

"She said it was our fault!" Kai told her. "Because we put Molly in the new body."

"Well, maybe we should have thought of that," Victoria agreed. "She could be right."

"No!" Kai snapped. "She can't be right. Don't let her off the hook that easily, Vicky. Somehow, this has to be her fault! It _has_ to be!" He punched a hole through the wall then, cursed, and stomped off.

"You think he's gonna be all right?" Adrian asked. "Maybe we shouldn't have done this."

"We would have had to do it sometime," Victoria told him. "And it's just like Kai said: If we have to do it, we might as well get it over with now."

Adrian nodded. "I suppose you have a point," he said. "But I have to wonder how long it will take him to come back to himself."

"He just has to be taken away from situations that remind him of his mother," Victoria said. "I'll take him and the twins to my parents' for a few days. That might cheer him up."

"I don't know," Adrian said. "Don't your parents hate him? How would that make him feel better?"

"No," Victoria corrected. "The only people I'm related to that have issues with him are your dad and my grandpa. That's it. Not that your dad is a problem because he's gone at the moment." She paused. "Have you heard anything more about that?"

"Actually yes," Adrian nodded. "Uncle Elijah called me the other day and said that Alistair had gotten in contact with him. Everyone seems to be getting in the general direction of getting their memories back, but he doesn't want to bring everyone to the present until their memories are more intact."

"Well, if Alistair has a plan, we can trust him," Victoria replied. She then heard a bang and went to check on Kai, who'd made yet _another_ hole in the wall.

"Okay," she said, pulling him away. "I think we need to leave now. Would you like to come with me and the twins to see my parents?"

"No, I don't want to see your parents," Kai shook his head. "At least not first. Could you…could you call my uncle instead and see if he and Helene will come?"

Victoria sighed and then went back to Adrian. "Would you mind if I invited Malachai and Helene over to talk to Kai and calm him down? I don't want this to be awkward for you."

"Oh, it won't be," Adrian told her with a shrug. "Thanks for checking, but you can go ahead and give them a call."

"All right," Victoria nodded. She went and called Helene, giving her the same warning about Adrian that she'd given him about her. "Do you still want to come? Or do you just want to send Malachai?"

"No, I can come," Helene assured her. "We'll be over soon."

* * *

"What's going on?" Malachai asked Victoria. "Not that I need a reason to come and visit, but Helene said you sounded kind of panicked."

"Well, your nephew just had a chat with his mother and you know how he is after those," Victoria sighed.

"Yes, I do," Malachai nodded. "I'll just follow the sound of yelling and cursing and there he'll be."

When they found him, he was curled up in the spare bed in Molly's bedroom with Molly clutched tightly to his chest, even though Finn had been the one that Edele had had her fingers all over. Molly seemed not to enjoy her father's embrace and was in fact squirming and crying to be released.

"It'll be all right," Malachai said, gently detaching Kai's fingers from his daughter and taking her in his arms. "That's better, isn't it? Now you go with Aunt Helene and your mother while I talk to your daddy, all right?"

Molly seemed more than happy to be sent off with Helene and once they were gone, Malachai threw the covers off his nephew and sat down. "Okay," he said. "What happened with your mother? Did she show up here to cause trouble?"

"No," Kai sighed and sat up. "Actually I called _her_. It was because Adrian had introduced Molly to his daughter and she sensed Molly had lots of darkness in her, much more than normal, and I thought that Mother might have had something to do with it. I had to see Mother. I had to ask. And then she said the darkness was probably there because we killed another child so that Molly could have the body and live."

"You did what you had to do," Malachai told him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sure, in a legal sense I suppose what you did was wrong, but…you can't beat yourself up for it."

"Oh, you misunderstand," Kai told him, sounding much less upset now. "I'm not mad at myself for what I did with Molly and I don't think that caused whatever's going on with her. I think Mom was just spouting a bunch of bullshit to try and get in my head like she usually does. But she's wrong! She's wrong!"

"Would you like a…is this the kind of situation where we should hug?" Malachai asked uncertainly.

Kai gave his uncle a long look and then cautiously hugged him, which was weird because the only other person he could remember hugging him was Victoria cause the twins weren't old enough to hug back yet.

"You know, you smell different than Victoria," he remarked when they pulled apart.

"Sorry," Malachai apologized. "I'm new at this."

"No, no," Kai said quickly. "I'm not saying that's a _bad_ thing. I was just making an observation."

"Oh," Malachai cleared his throat. "Well, good. Do you feel better now?"

"Yes," Kai replied, squaring his shoulders and hopping out of bed. "I do. I can't wait to kick Mom's ass for all of this."

"I bet you can't," Malachai told him. "I have some ideas about how to do it, but I'll let you do as you see fit."

"Thanks," Kai smiled and then they went to go see Helene and Victoria who were talking with Adrian as they watched the twins play on the living room floor.

* * *

"Poor Kai having to deal with Edele," Helene clicked her tongue sympathetically as they returned home a few hours later. "I thought for sure that that exorcism when the twins were born would rid us of her."

"Well, that just shows how little you know my sister," Malachai replied darkly. "She's a monster, that one. She really is. It's gonna take more than ghosts and a few people chanting to overtake her."

Helene smiled and gave him a kiss and a hug. "It sounds like you have a plan," she said.

"You're damn right I do," Malachai whispered, holding Helene close as he kissed her hair and tried to think of something other than the evil that was Edele McCullough.

This task was made much easier when he felt Helene's hands slip under his shirt. He helped her peel it off and soon it was in a pile on the floor by the front door along with his jeans and socks, and her skirt and top.

"Okay, we have to stop now," he said.

"What?" Helene asked. "Why? Are you afraid Percy will come home and interrupt us? He said in that note on the door that he was going out and wouldn't be back until later. You can't do this, Malachai! You can't stand there in front me in your underwear looking all buff and stuff and then tell me we're not going any further."

"Now did I say that?" Malachai asked. "I only meant that after the first time, I told you that in the future, I would make love to you in a bed and I really mean that."

"Oh," Helene smiled. "Well, if you put it that way…first one to the bedroom gets to be on top!" She took off and it took a few seconds for Malachai to register what she'd said.

"Hey! Just a minute!" He said when it hit him. Luckily for him, he was taller than she was and caught up to her rather quickly, picking her up and carrying her the rest of the way to the bedroom.

"That's cheating you know," she said as he put her down so he could open the door.

He kissed her, pushed off her panties, and then said, "Since when was it said we were playing fair?"

When they'd made it to the bed and had put the cool sheets over their bare bodies, Malachai took Helene in his arms and she was prepared for him to bury himself deep inside her as he had last time, but to her surprise, he was much gentler this time. He kissed her deeply, stroking her hair, and then moved down from her lips to her neck, then her stomach and inner thighs before looking up at her with a grin and saying "Take a deep breath and hold on tight."

"What do you mean by-" Helene began. But the question was cut off as she felt his head between her thighs and the gentle massaging motions of his tongue.

"Oh, my god!" She cried and gripped the edge of the mattress. Her eyes widened as she began breathing hard. "Yes," she whispered. "Keep doing that. Keep doing that. Yes, oh, god!" As she came, she burst into laughter. Malachai let her calm down and then took her in his arms again to kiss her. "Aren't you glad I cheated at our little race?" He asked.

"Yeah, I guess I can say that, for now, and all the time in the future," Helene replied. "But you have to cheat fair and square. I'm not just gonna let you win."

"I would hope not," Malachai replied with a smile as she put her arms around him. "That wouldn't be any fun, would it?"


	29. Making It All Better

"Do you need to talk more about your mother?" Victoria asked Kai. "If you do, go ahead. You know I'll listen."

"Oh, I'm pretty much over what happened," Kai told her. "I have moved on and relaxed until the next catastrophe she brings into our lives. But there was something that she said before she left that puzzles me."

"Oh?" Victoria questioned. "What is it?"

"Well, she was holding Finny and she just looked down at him with what on her would pass for fondness and said something along the lines of 'he'll look so much like his father'. What do you think that means? Obviously she wasn't paying me a compliment."

"What a strange thing for her to say," Victoria remarked. "Well, not the general sentiment, of course…but the phrasing. What could she mean by the phrasing?"

Kai scoffed. "Knowing my mother, probably nothing good."

They stood in silence and then Victoria said, "Should we all go to my parents' now? Would that be a good idea?"

"Yes, please," Kai told her. "I would love to go to a place where I'll be plied with alcohol and then fed in large amounts by a woman who wants me to call her 'Mother' and actually cares about my welfare. Should I get the twins and take them to the car?"

"I think we should wait until I call my parents and ask if we can come first," Victoria replied. "It's not polite just to barge in, even if they wouldn't actually mind."

"All right," Kai sighed. "You go make the call and I'll get the twins ready because you and I both know that your parents aren't gonna refuse a visit. And can I drive this time? Please?"

"No," Victoria said immediately. "You don't know how."

"I know, but it doesn't look hard," Kai told her. "Give me a few minutes and I'll figure it out."

"No," Victoria told him firmly. "Not when we have babies in the car. But next time it's just you and me, I suppose I can put my life in my hands and let you take the wheel."

"Really?" Kai smiled and gave her a kiss. "Thank you!" He ran off to get the twins ready and Victoria called her parents to ask if they were available for visitors.

"Of course we are," Regina told her. "Is everything all right?"

"Kai just got another visit from his mother and you know how visits from his mother make him," Victoria replied. "I've had to fix up more than one hole in the wall since it happened. I thought that some time with you and Daddy, and Daddy's whiskey would cheer him up."

"That's a nice thought," Regina agreed. "Now, should we _not_ talk about what happened with his mother? Is that something that shouldn't be discussed?"

"Exactly," Victoria nodded. "We'll keep quiet on that subject and just talk about happy things."

"All right," Regina agreed. "I'll be sure and tell your father. See you when you get here."

"See you then," Victoria agreed. She ended the call just as Kai came up behind her with one baby in each arm. "Are we going?" He asked as Finn reached for Victoria.

"Yep, we're going," Victoria nodded, taking her son. "Let's go. Mom and Dad are waiting for us."

* * *

"Here, have a drink," Declan told Kai as his son-in-law told him the story of his latest encounter with his mother. "After that, you need something to calm the nerves."

"Oh, the nerves are calm," Kai told him as he knocked back the glass of whiskey. "Now I just want to drink."

Declan chuckled. "Oh, I know what you mean," he agreed. "You remember what _my_ mother is like, don't you?" He paused. "But compared to yours, of course, she's fucking delightful."

"Are you talking to Kai about the thing I told you not to talk to him about?" Regina chided her husband.

"No, it's okay," Kai told her quickly. "I can talk about it. It doesn't bother me now."

"If you're sure," Regina told him. "But you were brought here for rest and relaxation. Not to be reminded of things that are problematic."

"You're right," Declan sighed as he went to pour Kai another drink. "Kai, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Kai said and reached for the glass Declan brought him. "That should go a _long_ way toward making me feel better."

"Don't you drink too much," Victoria warned. "Cause you know Molly's gonna wanna be around you and I don't want her getting into that or getting hurt."

"Don't worry about me, Vicky," Kai told her. "I know when to stop. I have self-control."

"Daddy, please be careful about how much you give him," Victoria requested of her father."

"I will," Declan assured his daughter. "Don't worry." He poured Kai one more glass and then put the bottle on the high shelf.

"I could always magic that down, you know," Kai remarked.

"Yes well, we'll just hope that you don't need to," Declan told him. They then went to sit with Regina, Victoria, and the twins.

"What have you heard from Grandma and Grandpa lately?" Victoria asked. "Anything interesting?"

"No, not really," Regina shook her head. "They probably just got wrapped up in a bunch of stuff. You should call them. I'm sure they would love to see the twins again."

"Grandma would," Victoria agreed. "Grandpa's never been much of a baby person, has he?"

"No," Regina sighed. "Not unless the baby is, you know, me, of course. Or you, Victoria. He says it's easier to deal with babies when he can do more with them than just stare and coo."

Just then the bottle of whiskey floated from the shelf where it lay and headed toward Molly, who was sitting in Regina's lap.

"Do we have to worry about her becoming a baby alcoholic?" Declan asked, grabbing the bottle midflight. He started to take it back where it belonged when Molly let out a cry and the bottle exploded in her grandfather's hand.

This caused Declan to cry out and fall to the floor.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Regina cried out and ran to her husband who was covered in alcohol and surrounded by broken glass. "Declan, are you okay?"

"Yes," Declan nodded, sitting up and swallowing some of the whiskey that had gotten in his mouth. "What the hell was that?"

"I guess Molly doesn't like having her magic interrupted," Victoria said. "Daddy, are you really okay?"

Declan shrugged. "It's nothing that I won't heal from. You don't see babies wanting to deal with alcohol very often, do you? Care to explain?"

"I can take the blame for that," Kai said. "My friend Adrian watches her and to cope with her magic, he's trying to help her train and one of the ways he did it was having her get him beers."

"What?" Victoria asked, her jaw dropping. "When were you gonna mention this to me?"

"Oh, calm down," Kai told her. "It's not like he lets her drink them."

"But still, it's a bit risky, don't you think?" Victoria wanted to know.

"No," Kai said. "I don't."

"All right," Victoria nodded. "I'll let it go."

They then spent a few more hours with Declan and Regina doing inane and calming things, and then headed home where Victoria checked her phone and realized that Kol had called.

"Hi, Grandpa!" She said apologetically. "Sorry I didn't get back to you. I was with Mom and Dad. What's going on?"

"Would you happen to know where your uncle Klaus went?" Kol asked. "I came to visit him and his friend Stefan says he's missing."

"Oh, he and Amy and Alistair and Astrid were sent back in time," Victoria told him. "But it happened a while ago. How come you're only just realizing it now?"

"I'm not my brother's keeper," Kol replied. "I don't have to watch every move he makes. How was your mother?"

"She's good," Victoria replied. "But you should call her. She's been wondering about you."

"That seems to be a frequent occurrence in her life," Kol remarked dryly. "We go off and do something and unfortunately forget to tell Regina. I'm a horrible parent."

"Well, if you called her now and apologized, I'm sure she would forgive you," Victoria told him. "And what would you say to me bringing the twins to visit? They have powers now and I promise you they're interesting."

"Sure, bring them over," Kol told her. "And hell, since I'm feeling generous, bring your husband too."

"That's a really nice offer," Victoria told him. "But I'm not sure he'll want to come."

"Oh, well," Kol shrugged it off. "You can't say I didn't offer."

After Kol had consulted with Margot (who was more than happy to have company as a way to keep her from worrying more about Amy) he and Victoria made a date for a visit a few days from then and told one another goodbye so Kol could talk to Regina.

"So…when are you going to your grandparents' house?" Kai asked as Ginger the dog settled at his feet.

"Not for a few days," Victoria told him. "You could even come if you want."

"No, thank you," Kai told her. "I would much rather stay home."

"I thought that's what you'd say," Victoria agreed before going to set Finn and Molly down for their naps. Molly went down easily, but Finn wanted to play and it took several minutes of watching his mobile spin wildly and his toys fly around in the air before Victoria got him calmed down. "That was good, Finny," she smiled. "But you have to go to sleep now, okay?" She gave him a kiss, tucked him in, and told him to sleep well before leaving his room with the door open a crack and going to zap up a pizza for her husband cause it really seemed like he needed it.

* * *

"So you have trouble with your sister too?" Helene asked. "It's not just Kai?"

Malachai scoffed at this. "It's hard to know Edele and _not_ have a problem with her. She never seemed to be able to get along with anyone. I suppose in a sense I should feel sorry for her, but really, she made it so difficult. That's why I told myself when she had Kai that I would look after him all I could because I doubted she'd make a good home life for him."

"That's very sweet," Helene smiled. "Now, to move on to a topic that's less traumatizing…what do you say I move into your bedroom?"

Malachai heard this and chuckled. "Well, that's an abrupt change of subject, isn't it?"

"Yes," Helene nodded. "So…yes or no? I figured it would be easier since we're sleeping together now."

"You've been waiting to ask me that question for a long time, haven't you?" He asked.

"Yes, I have," Helene nodded.

"All right," he said and gave her a spank. "Get your things and we'll see what we can do about getting you as much space as my drawers as you have in my bed."

Helene did what he asked and soon they were moving things around and putting things in drawers and hanging them up so that everything had a place. Malachai was very generous, but she was dismayed when he gave her most of the closet. "I don't need all that," Helene told him. "It was your closet first. I'll put my clothes that don't fit in it somewhere else."

"Or we could just do this," Malachai told her and expanded the space several inches, allowing space for all her stuff without putting him out any.

"Well, that works too," Helene nodded.

After she was moved in, they sat in the kitchen and had a drink. Helene watched Malachai over the rim of her glass until finally he put his cup down and asked, "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Oh, sorry," Helene apologized. "It's creepy, isn't it? I'll stop."

"I didn't say it was bad," Malachai said quickly. "I've just never had anyone look at me like that before."

Helene blushed and said, "You're gonna think this is really stupid and I feel dumb confessing this to you now, but…sometimes I find myself looking at you and wondering what the heck I did to deserve a place in your bed, your house, and your life at all. You're everything I've ever wanted in a guy and people rarely get everything that want. At least not without a catch somewhere." She looked up at him. "What's the catch with you?"

"There's no catch," Malachai told her, taking her hand and giving her a kiss. "Could it be that this is the reward for all those years of having to look after Adrian?"

"Yeah," Helene smiled, reaching across the table to put her arms around him. She knocked over her glass in the process and got red wine all over her shirt. Some of it even splashed onto Malachai as well.

"Shit!" She cried. "Sorry!"

"It's okay," Malachai assured her. "We can just go to our room and change!"

"Yes, we can," Helene smiled. They walked to their room hand in hand, stripped down, threw their stained clothes in the hamper, and then, as they stood staring at each other in their underwear, Helene pounced on him again, pushing him onto the mattress, her lips pressing against his as her hands ran down his bare, muscular body. "Damn, do you know what you do to me?" She asked. "Do you?"

"Yes," Malachai replied and kissed her back. "Cause it's what you do to me too."

They had a few quickies, then, at the sound of Percy's voice, quickly dressed and went out to greet him. "Hi," Helene said, trying to control her breathing. "Everything good with you?"

"Yeah," Percy nodded. "Fine. Clarence and I are working with Steve and his lady ghost friend. We came up with a solution, but we don't think he's gonna like it, even though it gets her what she wants. I don't want to see the look on his face when I have to tell him."

"I'm sure it will work out in the end," Malachai said. "Don't trouble yourself too much."

"I try not to," Percy assured him. "But who knew dealing with relationships was so hard?"

"Everyone finds that out sooner or later," Malachai replied. "Sadly, it's a fact of life."

"Hopefully my relationships won't be so difficult," Percy told him. "I'll just find someone nice and calm and that'll be it for me."

"Is that what your file says?" Helene asked.

"No," Percy said. "I don't know what my file says. Maybe I'll look tomorrow." He paused and looked at them. "But enough about me. What have you two been up to?"

"We moved my stuff into his room," Helene told Percy. "So we have a spare room in case you wanna invite a friend over."

Percy scoffed and put his backpack over his shoulder. "Maybe I'll invite Steve," he said. "And you two can talk some sense into him."


	30. Forever And Always

"So he didn't end up coming, did he?" Kol asked when Victoria showed up with the twins. "Your husband, I mean. Did you tell him that he was invited?"

"Yes, I did," Victoria replied as she stepped in the house. "But he thought you were tricking him into coming so you could do something horrible to him, so he decided to stay home."

"Oh, well," Kol sighed. "Can't say that I'm gonna miss him too much."

"Would you mind taking one of these two?" Victoria asked. "My arms are starting to hurt."

"Of course," Kol replied. Victoria thought he would take Molly, but he took Finn instead, studying him. "How's this one's magic?"

"Impressive," Victoria replied. "He used to do things only at night, but now he's branching out a little."

"Good," Kol smiled. "Wonderful."

"Sometimes it is," Victoria agreed. "Other times, I don't know." They advanced into the living room and to her surprise, she saw her mother sitting on the living room sofa.

"Well, this is a treat," she said. "I didn't know you were here, Mom."

"We're trying to make up for our neglectful parenting," Kol explained. "Your mother was free, so we invited her to visit, and here she is."

"Has Daddy recovered from the little accident with Molly the other day?" Victoria asked her mother. "I'm sorry that she hurt him."

"What?" Kol asked, his eyes widening a little. "What happened?"

"Molly made a bottle Dad was holding explode with her magic," Victoria explained.

Kol heard this and turned his attention from Finn to Molly. "If that's what you're doing unintentionally, imagine what you could achieve if we harnessed that same power and gave it direction and purpose." He smiled. "You'd be such a good little killer."

"Don't give her any ideas," Regina chided her father as Molly smiled at Kol. "At least not yet, anyway. Be happy with the fact that she at least knows how to cause injury and go with that for a while."

"I was going to," Kol assured her. "Don't worry, Gina."

"Good," Regina nodded. "Between the things you influence her to do and the things Adrian influences her to do, I think the world is in trouble once she's old enough to control her own powers."

Kol's face darkened as he turned his gaze to Victoria. "How could you let Adrian around her?" He asked, sounding very offended.

"Why shouldn't I?" Victoria asked. "He and Kai are friends and although they do some things with the kids that I would never do myself, it's nothing dangerous." She paused. "Since when did you have troubles with Adrian? I mean, I know he's your nephew and everything, but I wasn't aware you two even talked that much."

"Well, there was the time several years ago when he and Helene battled it out for the city of New Orleans and put all the witches there in danger," Kol told her. "I was leading the resistance, so that alone makes me look at Adrian with little favor. The man just doesn't like witches. Or anyone else who can do magic for that matter."

"Now if that was true, do you think he would be friendly with Kai at all?" Regina asked. "I think you're worrying about nothing."

"All right," Kol replied. "But the man abandoned his daughters because of their magic. Who's to say he won't get Molly really attached to him and then get tired of her and go put himself in a situation that doesn't ask so much from him? Do you really want your daughter to be hurt that way?"

"Of course not!" Victoria assured him. "If something like that happened, Kai and I would deal with it, from what I've seen of Adrian and Molly, I don't think that will be a problem. He's so enamored of her that I bet he's thinking of her right now."

"You poor child," Kol told Molly. "Prepare yourself for lots of disappointment as you grow up if your whole life is pinned on the whims of my nephew."

"Why don't we talk about Finny for a while?" Regina suggested as a change of subject. "Because there really is a lot to say."

"Is there?" Kol asked, bringing Finn onto his lap after giving Molly back to her mother, which made the little girl feel rejected and cry out irritably. "Do tell. I'm all ears."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kai was hanging out with Adrian, who of course had no ideas about his uncle's criticisms of his character and, as Victoria had thought, still had a certain child on the brain.

"I hope you won't be offended when I ask this question, but…where's Molly?" Adrian asked his friend as they sat on the sofa in Kai and Victoria's living room.

"She's at your uncle Kol's with Victoria," Kai remarked. "I was invited, but I just didn't want to go."

"That's probably a good thing, since he doesn't like you," Adrian remarked. "Or me either. He stuck a dagger in me once. It wasn't pleasant."

"Why would he do that?" Kai wanted to know.

"It was during my and Helene's difficult period," Adrian said. "He and Helene were in cahoots and I thought he was gonna hurt our daughters to have Helene to himself so we dueled and I lost. Fun times."

"Yeah," Kai said thoughtfully. "I guess." He chuckled. "I'm surprised he hasn't gone after _me_ with a sword yet. I wonder why?"

"Probably because Margot won't let him," Adrian replied. "You're lucky."

"That is a very good point," Kai agreed. "I like Margot. She's nice. Hasn't been around much lately, though."

"She's worried about Amy," Adrian told him. "She's still back in time with Dad and Alistair and Astrid and we haven't heard much from them. We don't know when they'll come back, if they ever do."

"Oh, of course they'll come back!" Kai encouraged. "You'll have your dad back in no time!"

"You know, we've never been particularly close, at least not since I was a kid, but the thought of him not coming back sort of freaks me out," Adrian confessed. "Of course we all know that if your mother got lost somewhere and could never come back, you'd be over the moon."

"Yes, well, I didn't exactly shed tears when I found out she was dead," Kai smiled.

"I would have said the same thing about you," Edele said as she appeared quite suddenly, causing Kai to spit out his beer and knock his bowl of chips to the floor. "There were so many times in your life that I came close to killing you. I wonder why I didn't just go through with it." She shrugged. "Oh, well. You're finally proving useful to me, so I guess it wasn't such a bad mistake after all."

"What do you want, you old hag?" Adrian spat at her.

"Oh, getting your friends to fight your battles for you?" Edele smirked at her son. "It just figures."

"If you were solid I'd put you in the exact state you are now," Kai told her through his teeth. "And I wouldn't hesitate."

"Well, that's delightful to know," she told him. "It would be amusing to watch you try. But in all honesty, I didn't come to start a fight. It was just an added bonus. Where are the twins? I have a friend I want to introduce them to."

"They're not here," Kai told her. "Luckily, Victoria took them someplace else. But even if they _were_ here, you wouldn't be going anywhere with them. I wouldn't risk their lives by letting someone take them somewhere they'd probably never come back from."

"Oh, don't be stupid!" Edele shot back, her cold blue eyes narrowing. "I have every intention of keeping those two alive. I have no reason to kill them."

"How come I was disposable and they're not?" Kai asked.

"You'll find out in good time," Edele said. "I promise you that. Oh, well, if the twins aren't here, I'll be on my way. My friend will be so disappointed."

"Goodbye," Kai told her. "I hope you don't come back."

"I didn't come by choice," Edele said. "It's not like I enjoyed myself either." She disappeared, leaving Kai and Adrian to stare at one another, and then Adrian sighed and stood up, swearing as his food crunched chips into the carpet. "I'll get that cleaned up," he offered. "And would you like another beer? Or two?"

"As many as you can get your hands on," Kai nodded. "Please."

* * *

"Well, this is nice," Helene said as she opened her eyes in the morning and saw Malachai grinning back at her. "I know I say that every morning, but I really do mean it."

"I know you do," Malachai kissed her. "I like waking up this way too." He then said, "I remember your confession about feeling lucky to be with me." He smiled. "I just…I want you to know that I feel the same way about you."

"You do?" Helene asked with a smile. "Why?"

"Oh, you know, don't you?" Malachai asked. "You're attractive, you're intelligent, you're warm, you're caring…you don't mind that I organize the kitchen and bedroom spaces in really particular ways…"

"Of course not!" Helene told him. "Being organized is a very good thing. Adrian was always a mess. I had to clean up after him all the time."

She chuckled. "It's nice to know that you're different, but sometimes I don't know what to do with myself since I have all the extra time."

"Well, allow me to make a few suggestions," Malachai smiled before kissing her and lowering her back down onto the mattress.

They had gone on for a little bit when all of a sudden, Malachai paused.

"What?" Helene asked. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing bad," Malachai told her quickly. "But I think…what do you think about you and I getting married?"

"What?" Helene asked. "Really? Why?" She paused. "I mean, why now?"

"I know this might seem fast, and I know you might be resistant because I haven't been able to ask your father for your hand, but…I know you and I spend a lot of time like we are now and I just…I don't want you to end up in a delicate condition without you knowing that I'm looking out for you," Malachai told her, his hands on either side of her face.

"I'm taking care of myself in that regard," Helene assured him. "But our whole relationship has gone so fast, I suppose it would only be fitting that we married now. Or at least got engaged."

Malachai smiled. "That's what I was thinking too." He made a motion with his hand and soon a beautiful opal ring made with silver appeared. Malachai grabbed it then and slipped it on her finger.

"How lovely," she smiled as it reflected a rainbow of colors in the morning light. "I like it."

"And…will you marry me when your parents come back and I've officially asked them?" Malachai asked.

"Of course I will!" Helene smiled and kissed him. "You know I can never tell you 'No'."

"And don't worry," Malachai replied. "I'll never give you a reason to. Now, what do you say we get dressed, eat breakfast, and go tell Percy the good news?"

"Sounds good to me," Helene replied with a smile. "Let's do it!"


	31. Malachai's Big Secret

"Uncle Malachai, come in!" Kai said when he opened the door to see his uncle and Helene the doorstep. "And you come in too, Helene. What's going on?"

"We came to tell you something that you might be resistant to, but it makes us both happy, so we hope you can be supportive."

"What is it?" Kai asked and then groaned. "Did you get her pregnant, Uncle Malachai? Cause if you did, there really are some things that you should tell her about Percy and all his siblings-"

Malachai quickly cut him off with a silencing spell before saying, "No, that's not what it's about. We're engaged!"

Helene pulled out the hand with her opal ring on it that had been resting in her pocket. "See?" She said excitedly and gave an excited little jump. "Here it is! What do you think?"

"It's nice," Kai said with a smile. "You're very lucky."

"And there's another thing too," Helene added. "I'm pregnant! He proposed just in time!"

"It was an interesting story," Malachai agreed. "She told her parents we were engaged and then she told me once it was over."

" _So…how did they take it?" Malachai asked Helene as she sat down next to him after talking to her parents and settled in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder so she could inhale the scent of the skin on his neck._

" _They didn't take it well," Helene told him. "Not that I thought they would, even though I assured them that you would ask Daddy for my hand when you got back. The worst part was Mom. She very conveniently remembered who you were just when I let the news out and now she's dismayed with me too."_

" _We'll get it all sorted out," Malachai assured her as he kissed her hair. "It'll all work out well in the end."_

" _I hope so," Helene got out. "If this is how they react to us getting engaged, what will they say when I tell them I'm pregnant?"_

" _What?" Malachai asked in shock, his hand going still in her hair._

 _Helene gave him a weak smile. "You proposed just in time. Percy and Sarah are gonna have a new sibling." She got to her feet, swayed a little, and then when she was standing firmly on the ground, said to him, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to run to the bathroom and be sick, but I'll be back in a minute."_

" _Just a minute!" Malachai cried and followed her to the bathroom, getting the door closed in his face when he reached it. "Did you just tell me you're pregnant?"_

 _At a pause in being sick, Helene called back, "Yeah, I am. Do you have a problem with that?"_

" _Well, no, but…how long have you known?" Malachai shouted back, his palms spread out on the closed door. "It hasn't been long, has it?"_

" _Of course not," Helene replied. "I wouldn't make you wait forever." She paused. "Although waiting has never really been an issue for us, has it?"_

" _No," Malachai said as he turned away from the door to go pour himself a drink and chew over this news. He was happy about the child of course, but he wondered how it would fit in in the broader scheme of things. If it would make things better, worse, or not affect them at all. "Not really. You need me to get you anything?"_

" _No, thanks," Helene told him. "I'll be all right. Just give me a minute."_

"Well isn't that fun?" Kai asked, feeling a great admiration for his uncle still being in one piece after that.

"Yeah, I know it's a lot to heap onto a person at one time, but he handled it like a champ," Helene smiled and patted Malachai on the back.

"Well, you already know I can handle children," Malachai told her. "I see no reason to be alarmed by this. I think it's wonderful." He paused. "Your parents are another matter, though."

"I know I told you they were upset, but there's really nothing they can do now. They have to admit to themselves that this is the situation now and realize that there's no way around it." She paused. "And if they don't, I pick you."

"Well, thank you," Malachai told her. "But I just…I hope it doesn't come to that. I wouldn't want to be responsible for separating you from your family. That wouldn't be right."

"Well, then we'll just have to reason with them, won't we?" Helene asked, putting a hand on her stomach.

"Do you need to run to the bathroom again?" Malachai asked, his voice urgent.

"No," Helene shook her head. "Not that." She sat hugging her knees and rocking back and forth as she slowly vanished.

"What the hell is going on?" Kai asked as he and his uncle stared at one another in alarm. "Where'd she go?"

"Well, I don't know," Malachai shook his head. "No idea. This isn't good."

Kai then got up and went in search of Victoria to ask for her help while Malachai kept an eye on the twins and the sofa in case Helene appeared again.

"Helene disappeared!" He cried when he found her. "Have you seen her?"

"No," Victoria shook her head. "I didn't even know she was here. She and your uncle are visiting? That's great! When did they arrive?"

"Not too long ago," Kai replied. "You haven't missed much."

When they got to the living room, Helene was sitting calmly next to Malachai on the sofa.

"I thought you said she was missing!" Victoria said to Kai. "There she is!"

"In his defense, I _did_ disappear for a little bit," Helene told her. "I'm pregnant, so the magical side effects are kicking in. And much stronger than I'm used to."

"Well, congratulations!" Victoria smiled. "I'm so happy for you!" She gave her a gentle hug and then went back to sit next to Kai, taking Finn in her lap. "Magic pregnancies can be hard, but you can do it." She paused. "I don't know what I'm telling you this for. It's not your first time."

"It's my first time where the baby has a double dose of magic," Helene said. "It'll be fun to see how this turns out." She then looked at Kai. "The next time you see Adrian, if you feel the need to tell him about this, go ahead. I don't see why you would, but in case you do, you have my blessing."

"All right," Kai told her. "Good to know."

* * *

"I thought you would like to know," Kai said to Adrian as he strode into his house with Molly held firmly in his arm, "that my uncle is now engaged to your ex-wife. And she's pregnant with his baby."

"Is she?" Adrian smiled. "Well, good for her. I hope it goes better for her this time around." He took Molly, sat back down, and played with her without more words on the subject.

"That's it?" Kai asked. "You're not gonna swear or be angry or break things?"

"Why would I?" Adrian asked before pulling up Molly's shirt to blow a raspberry on her stomach and make her giggle. "I divorced her. Why would I be upset that she's with someone else who's probably way better for her anyway?"

"Well, that's a very mature way to look at things," Kai told him. "I'm proud of you."

"I think you have an issue with this," Adrian told him. "Wanna talk about it? Oh, and my mom brought over some chocolate chip cookies if you want them. She's pregnant now and didn't want to stuff herself."

"Are they any good?" Kai asked.

"Mom used to have a very famous bakery before her father in law threw a tantrum and burned it down. Sweet Emotions."

"Your mom owned Sweet Emotions?" Kai cried and then zipped into the kitchen to grab as many cookies as he could.

When he got back, Molly watched him for a bit without blinking before actually crawling away from Adrian and toward him, reaching up for a cookie and whimpering piteously.

"Molly, you can't keep stealing my food," Kai told her, distracted from thinking about his uncle and Helene. "These are _my_ cookies. After I'm done, I'll get you one of your own, though."

He ate them in a way that caused Molly to scowl and Adrian to take pity on her. "Come on, sweetheart," he said, picking her up and kissing the brown hair that was just covering her head. "I know your daddy doesn't want to share with you, but _I_ will."

"Only give her half a cookie," Kai said. "Victoria gets upset if she eats too much and gets a stomachache."

"Yes, boss," Adrian called back. But because Kai wasn't looking, he gave her a whole cookie, little bit by little bit, and then deftly wiped the crumbs off her face with a napkin. "Now you can't tell anyone about this, okay?" He asked her quietly. Molly gave a little giggle in response and then they headed back to the living room.

"You gave her a whole cookie, didn't you?" Kai asked dryly. "What's going on with you and her? I thought you hated children."

"I did," Adrian conceded. "And then I saw Molly and everything changed. Don't ask me to explain it because I can't."

"I wouldn't," Kai replied. "But I'm watching you. You do something with her that gets me in trouble with Victoria and I'm throwing you under the bus immediately."

"I'm not surprised," Adrian told him. "But don't worry. I'll be careful. I love her just as much as you do."

* * *

"I can't believe Malachai and Helene are gonna be married," Victoria said as she and Kai undressed for bed that night. "And have a baby too! That is so wonderful! I hope they invite us to the wedding!"

Kai heard this and scoffed. "If her father has any sense at all, when Malachai asks him if they can make it official, he should say 'No'. It would be better for everyone that way."

"Oh, come here," Victoria told him, taking him in her arms and nibbling on his ear. "I know that with Malachai focusing his attention on someone else it might feel like you're losing your family, but you're really not. You're just gaining an aunt!"

"That's really trite," Kai told her, moving her arm. "And it doesn't make me feel better. I'm not mad about the marriage for myself. I'm mad about the marriage for Helene. And for Uncle Malachai. Cause I can tell he really likes her and I don't want her to hurt him when she finds out all the stuff that I just _know_ he hasn't told her yet."

"What sort of stuff?" Victoria asked. "Tell me. It can't be that bad."

"Okay," Kai replied. "The reason why Uncle Malachai gives sperm to sperm banks is because he wants to make a coven of super power magical children who can all band together with him and use their combined powers to bring my mother down. It's quicker that way instead of him taking time to find all the individual women, get in relationships with them, and get them pregnant. Sarah is one of those children. So is that Percy kid that lives with him and Helene. There are eleven others, but I've never met any of them. And now that _Helene_ is pregnant, if he tells her the truth, she'll probably think that her kid is part of the plot too and run away. And since they really like each other, that would hurt them both."

"Has your uncle lost his mind?" Victoria asked, her jaw dropping a little. "You're making that up, aren't you?"

"No," Kai told her, his gaze serious. "I'm not."


	32. The Truth Comes Out

"Don't you dare ask him about it," Kai warned Victoria. "It's not even any of your business what Uncle Malachai is planning. I wasn't even supposed to tell you, but I did."

"Well, that's not my fault," Victoria told him. "I have to tell Helene at least. I don't want her to be deceived and used!" She went into the kitchen and grabbed her coat off the chair, slipping it on. "You'll have to watch the twins while I'm gone. It won't take long, I promise."

"I know it won't," Kai said firmly. "Because you're not going anywhere."

Victoria smirked at him. "Oh, how cute," she said and patted him on the cheek. "You think you can stop me."

"Yes," Kai replied, zipping over, grabbing a knife, and sticking it in her gut, pushing it deeper and deeper until she fell to the floor in a heap. "Maybe not forever, but I have enough time to warn him, at least." Taking a deep breath, he pushed Victoria's hair out of her eyes, apologizing to her and knowing that she might never forgive him for this, or at least it would take a hell of a long time to get her in a forgiving frame of mind. But he'd done what he had to do. Uncle Malachai didn't have anyone to stick up for him. Kai had had to do right by his uncle. He'd done it and would face the consequences. Now, he had to warn his uncle about what Victoria knew, and the fact that thanks to her, it probably wouldn't be long until Helene knew it too. Leaving Victoria where she was, the knife still stuck in her, he grabbed the twins, put them in the car, and headed for his uncle's house.

* * *

"Playtime with the twins? How nice." Malachai remarked when he opened the door and saw Kai on the other side with both of them in hand cause he thought it wouldn't be a good idea to leave them in a house with no one to care for them but their temporarily dead mother.

"I brought them because I had no other option," Kai told him. "I have something I need to tell you. I've done a very bad thing."

"What is it?" Malachai asked. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"You have to tell Helene about all the other kids," Kai told him. "I had to tell Victoria because she threatened to tell Helene, and really, who would you rather she hear it from?"

"That's a very good question," Malachai replied. "How did the conversation come about?"

"Well, I was expressing concern about you and Helene's engagement, and Helene asked me why, and…it all came pouring out," Kai sighed. "I'm sorry."

"We'll get it sorted out," Malachai told him. "I suppose Helene has to hear at some point, and like you say, it's probably best she hear it all from me."

Kai nodded. "Would you like me to be there when you tell her, or…would you rather handle this on your own?"

"I could use the company," Malachai told him. "I don't see this ending well." He took Molly in his arms and held her tight as they went in search of Helene. When they found her, she was in the bathroom, trying to keep a now-curly head of hair under control.

"This is hellish," she commented. "I got out of the shower, was brushing it, and then it just blew up like this." She sighed and gave up. "You know, I think I prefer the morning sickness. At least that's predictable and I know how to make it stop."

"I have to tell you something," Malachai said. "And is Percy here? He should know too."

"Yeah," Helene nodded. "I think he's playing video games or something. I know he's here."

So Malachai called for Percy and when he and Helene were settled in the living room with the babies on their laps, Malachai cleared his throat. "I have something I need to tell you both," he told them. "Something important that I suppose I should have told you a long time ago. And I'm very sorry for the delay."

"What is it?" Helene asked.

"Yeah," Percy nodded. "What is it?"

"Well," Malachai looked at him. "You know how both you and Sarah were born because I gave my sperm to a sperm bank?"

"Yes," Percy nodded. "What about it?"

"You and Sarah aren't the only ones," He said. "There are eleven other children that are products of my donations."

"There are?" Percy brightened. "If you know that, can I meet them? Where are they?"

"If this is true, I'll have to get a bigger table for Thanksgiving," Helene smiled. "I really hope we can meet them all."

"All right," Malachai smiled and started to walk away. "That's all I have to say."

Kai followed him. "That's not all and you know it. You have to tell them everything, even the stuff that might drive them away. Do you want Helene to hear it from Victoria?"

"No," Malachai shook his head and took several deep breaths. "No, I suppose you're right. I need to be honest with her. I can do it."

* * *

But it took until bedtime for him to finally get up the courage. "Helene," he told her as she smiled at him from her side of the bed. "I have some more I need to tell you about the other kids."

"You do?" Helene asked, smiling widely. "What? What else do I need to know?"

"You need to know that I…I fathered all those children for a purpose," Malachai said, keeping his eyes on her and trying not to blink. "I fathered all those children so I could bring them together and use their powers in addition to my own to defeat my sister for good. That's the truth. Please don't be mad."

"If this is a joke, it's not a very good one," Helene told him. "Is that why you got me pregnant too? Why you cozied up to me and wanted to marry me and didn't hesitate to ask me to move in with you? So you could have yet another child to help you defeat your sister? Am I nothing but an incubator to you?"

"No, Helene," Malachai tried to reason with her. "Our baby isn't part of this. Our baby gets to live its life and not be touched by anything the other children do."

"Ah," Helene nodded. "I see. You call Sarah and Percy your children, yet you're more than willing to sacrifice them while our baby stays safe just because you fathered it personally. That's really nice." Her lips were in a tight line and suddenly the windows began rattling.

"You need to take a deep breath and calm down," Malachai said. "Don't do anything you'll later regret."

"I won't," Helene told him. "I'd never hurt my baby." She got out of bed, grabbed a pillow and a blanket, and said, "I'm going to spend the night on the sofa. I can't even look at you right now. And did Kai know about this too?"

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "He did. And he told Victoria too."

"So everyone gets to know but me," Helene huffed. "Well, that's just dandy."

She stomped off to the living room and set herself up on the sofa, then called Victoria before she fell asleep.

"Did you know about Malachai's plans for his children?" She asked.

"Yes," Victoria assured her. "How did _you_ find out about it?"

"Malachai told me," Helene said, feeling like she was about to cry. "I feel so betrayed. I should have known this would be too good to be true. I can't look at him anymore."

"You can come stay with me if you want," Victoria offered. "Then our husbands can plot together since they clearly don't care about our feelings."

"That sounds nice," Helene replied. "Thank you. I'll be by in the morning."

"See you then," Victoria told her. "Can't wait."

* * *

"I feel so good that we decided to do this," the dark haired woman in the red sweater and gray slacks said as she joined three two other warmly dressed women in the backseat of a Buick. "It makes it a lot easier to visit my son when I know I'm not the only woman to have to send her child to an asylum because he says he has magic powers. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life."

"Well, we all know how you feel, Rose," The driver told her. "We miss our kids too."

"What are the odds that there would be so many kids with a disorder like that in the same area?" Rose asked her friends. They had all bonded over the fact that they'd put their children in the same asylum for the same reason: the kids all claimed to have magical powers, which made them very difficult to deal with. It was a delusion that would not be driven out of them, no matter how many therapists they saw.

"Next time I decide to have children, I'm going to a different sperm bank," Rose continued. "And I need to ask them at the one I went to just what sort of man fathered my children."

"I'd like to know too," The driver, Laurie, told her. "I mean, we all didn't go to the same bank, but we must have the same donor."

"Yeah," Emma, who was sitting on Rose's right added while the others nodded in silent agreement. Me too. What do you say we all go together? And maybe stop for all our kids' medical files so we have proof of what we say?"

They agreed and then headed to the sperm bank and asked to know about their donor.

"We can't give you that information," the woman at the desk said patiently. "We promise all men who donate anonymity."

"But we think there's something horribly wrong with him!" Emma cried. "All of our children are ill and insane! Why wasn't that listed on his sheet? That any children he would father would end up ill and insane?"

The woman's voice changed when she heard this and saw Rose plunk down a pile of medical records. "Look these over," she ordered. "Then tell me I don't have a reason to be concerned about the father of my children."

The woman looked the files and then said, "So you all have children with medical files that look like this?"

"Yep," the other women replied, holding them up.

"And if you don't tell us where the man lives right now, we'll sue you to get the information," Rose said. "So it would be easier to just tell us now."

The woman at the desk quickly wrote down Malachai's address to give to her. "Good luck," she said. "And don't tell anyone I did this."

They promised her they wouldn't and then drove to the house, knocking on the door and waiting for an answer.

The answer came in the form of a teenage boy, not a grown man. "Does Malachai McCullough live here?" Laurie asked.

"I'm Percy," Percy told them. "Mr. McCullough is my father. He's not in right now, but if you need to see him, come in and have a seat and when he comes, I'll let you know."

"What a nice boy," Rose said. "If that's what he's like, his father can't be _that_ bad."

"Remember our kids at the asylum," Laurie said and gave a gentle push forward. "Remember all they're going through and that for them, we're getting to the bottom of this."


	33. Free The Children

When the women were seated, Percy got them coffee and they sat and chatted until a distraught Malachai returned. He'd been trying to coax Helene into coming back, but had failed.

"I need a drink," he told Percy. "It's good that it's not Sarah's week."

"Before you get really drunk, there are a bunch of women here who want to see you," Percy told him.

"What do they want to talk to me about?" Malachai wanted to know. "I can't talk to any more women today."

"They want to know more about you," Percy said. "They're some of the mothers of your children who didn't deal as well with having powers as Sarah or I did. I think they feel like they've been tricked."

"Oh, fuck," Malachai sighed, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "The day I've been dreading has finally come."

"It won't be so bad," Percy told him. "I'll be here with you. I'll do the best I can to make sure nothing bad happens."

"Thanks," Malachai nodded. "I don't know how successful you'll be, but it's nice to know that I have backup." He took a deep breath and then he and Percy went into the living room to confront the women.

When they saw Malachai, their eyes widened and they put their coffee cups down before rising to their feet. They stared at both Percy and Malachai in silence for a long time before Rose finally got out, "Are-are you the father of our children?"

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "And I assume you ladies are here because you have questions. I knew that you'd show up one day. So go ahead. Let it out." He held out his arms in a gesture to show that he was harmless and would listen.

"What's going on with them?" Rose continued. "Why do they have all the strange things happening around them? It's like they're possessed! We've all had to put those children in asylums because we couldn't handle what they do!"

"You did _what?"_ Malachai asked in shock. "How could you? They aren't crazy! They're magic! They got it from me because I'm a warlock!"

The women heard this and then Laurie said, "No wonder our kids are insane. Their father is too. They need to do a much better job of testing the men who make donations, so that things like this don't happen to other people."

"I planned for a situation exactly like this when I donated," Malachai explained. "I knew humans wouldn't be able to cope with magical children, so they would let them go and I could take them under my wing without protest from the children's parents. It really would work better that way."

"Have you lost your mind?" Rose asked and punched him in the face. "How dare you do that to unsuspecting people? And the poor children!"

"You know," Malachai told her as he put a hand over his eye and chuckled weakly. "That's exactly what my wife said when I told her what was going on."

"Well, that's good for her!" Rose sniffed. "At least she sounds sensible."

"What is it that you intend to do with your children now that you know what's going on with them?" Percy asked. "Are you going to keep them locked up, which will do them no good? Or will you get them out of the asylum and send them where they won't be treated like freaks?"

"Oh, you poor boy!" Laurie said and came to put a hand on his cheek. "Has that horrible man brainwashed you too?"

"No, he hasn't," Percy told her and pushed her hand away. "He's helped me more than anyone ever has in my whole life. I'm just like the kids that you have. I was born to a human mother and she never quite knew what to do with me either. Didn't go so far as to lock me up, but I can't say my life was as good as it could be. Then I came here and I felt…accepted. Like what I could do wasn't some big, scary horrible thing. Don't you want that for your own kids? I hope you don't feel like locking them away is doing them any good, because it isn't. As their mothers, don't you want them to be the best they can be?"

The women gave Percy a long look and then stared at each other. Although they didn't want to admit it, they supposed the boy had a very good point.

Laurie told him, "Well, I guess if you're successful after spending time with this man, then it wouldn't hurt our children. Like you say, what good is it doing them to be locked up now? That's not going to make their magic go away."

"No," Percy shook his head. "It really isn't."

Laurie wrote down the asylum address and handed it to Percy, the women finished their coffees, and after each one of them gave Malachai a firm punch in the gut which made him fall to the floor and whimper in pain, they left.

"Well, that went better than I thought it would," He choked out as Percy helped him to his feet. Then, a terrible thought crossed his mind. The women. What if they told someone what he'd done and it got out to the Council? He would be in trouble for exposing the magical world! And he would lose his magic, and…

"Oh, god, I need to sit down," he said. "And Percy, would you get me a drink?"

"Does it matter what kind?" Percy asked.

"No," Malachai shook his head, his breathing picking up. "Whatever you can find would be fine."

* * *

"Uncle Malachai!" Kai cried as he opened the door of Adrian's house and his uncle just fell in the doorway. He reeked of alcohol and had trouble getting to his feet, his gaze completely lacking any sort of focus. "What happened?"

" _It_ finally did," Malachai got out. "The mothers of some of the kids showed up at my doorstep and demanded to know why their kids have powers and things."

"And how much do we have to worry?" Kai asked. "They're not going to try and burn you at the stake, are they?"

"Oh, I'm not worried about them!" Malachai shook his head. "I'm worried that the council is gonna find out about this and they're going to kill me for it!"

"Don't worry about that," Kai told him as he led him to the sofa and helped him sit down. "No one is even running the council anymore. It's a mess. You won't get convicted of a thing."

"I hope so," Malachai replied as Adrian, moved by the man's suffering (much to his surprise) came over and held Molly out to him. "Would you like a comforting baby?" He offered and encouraged him to take her.

"No, no, no!" Kai said and took her out of Adrian's arms. "He's not holding any babies in the state he's in. Can't you see that he's completely drunk?"

"Oh," Adrian flushed and examined Malachai closer. "I guess you're right. Sorry. Coffee and bed?"

"I think that would be best," Kai agreed.

So they put the twins in their separate playpens (they knew exactly what would happen if they made them share one) and then held up Malachai as they took him to an empty room and tucked him in.

"You stay there and try and get some rest," Kai said. "I'll get you some coffee. No running around when you're so wasted. It's not good for you."

Malachai chuckled weakly. "Where did you learn such a good bedside manner?" He asked. "From Victoria?"

"Obviously," Kai nodded. "Who would I have learned it from before her?"

"Good point," Malachai nodded. "The only thing you learned from your mother is a tendency to stab or hurt people when they annoy you, but I won't harp on that too much since you stabbed Victoria in a misguided attempt to defend me and you'll be paying for it for who knows how long since she probably won't want to talk to you for a while."

"Oh, you're drunk," Kai said. "Stop saying such silly things! I bet I can get her to like me immediately."

"That's what I thought about Helene after _I_ screwed up," Adrian told him. "And it didn't work. So good luck."

"Thank you," Kai smirked. "But I know I won't need it."

* * *

"I'm so glad to be away from Malachai and all of his crazy," Helene told Victoria as Victoria painted her fingernails a plum shade. "I knew that there would be _something_ about him that was deep and dark and scary, but I was just so happy I didn't want to think about it." She paused. "Do you think I'm overreacting? Do you think I should go back and give him a chance to explain?"

Victoria sighed. "I don't know," she said. "You have to do what's right for you. I can't tell you that. If you think that you or your baby will be in danger from him, you shouldn't go back to him at all. Or at least not yet."

Helene put a hand on her stomach. "He doesn't seem that bad, but I just…I don't want to risk him using our baby for whatever the other kids are around for. I'm staying away until I'm thoroughly convinced my child will be safe."

"Smart move," Victoria agreed. "And you can stay here as long as you want, since Kai has placed himself firmly on Team Malachai. I could use the company."

"Thanks," Helene smiled. "With my parents gone, I really appreciate it."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that is," Victoria said, standing up. "I mean, the first answer that comes to mind is the obvious one, but I hope our husbands understand why we need to be alone in the first place and give us time to adjust to all we just went through."

"Do you really think they will?" Helene asked. "Or is that giving them way too much credit?"

"I wouldn't put it past Kai to push his luck," Victoria told her, then prepared a speech in her head for when she opened the door and saw Kai on the other side. But to her surprise, there was _no one_ on the other side. Just a cookie bouquet with a note. She scoffed when she saw a couple of the cookies had big bites out of the side of them.

 _I'm sorry for putting a knife in your heart. Have these cookies as a reminder of me. I love you, Kai._

"Hopefully the person who made this note thought he was talking metaphorically about that first thing," Victoria said dryly. "I can't believe he thinks that I can just be bought off with cookies. It's gonna take more than that since he stabbed me and then left me to bleed on the kitchen floor."

"So you're not gonna eat those?" Helene asked as she blew on her nails. "Cause I'm kind of hungry."

"Go ahead," Victoria replied, taking the card out and throwing it away before handing the cookies to Victoria. "And when Malachai sends _you_ bribes, I'll handle those. Deal?"

"Deal," Helene nodded as she took a big bite out of a red rose cookie, shut her eyes, and swallowed. "Sounds good to me."


	34. A Knife In The Heart

"What are you doing?" Helene asked as she watched Victoria sit in a chair with some paper on her lap that she was writing on and then crossing the writing out with harsh pen strokes.

"I'm trying to think of a way to get back at Kai for being a moron, but I don't know what to do!" Victoria replied. "Nothing seems harsh enough!"

"Well, why don't you ask your grandfather then?" Helene suggested. "I'm sure he'd be more than happy to give you suggestions. In fact, he'll probably even offer to help with the act itself."

"A nice suggestion," Victoria told her. "But I think I want to handle this on my own. Grandpa's wanted to hurt Kai for so long that if I let him help, he'd probably just take over and deprive me of the satisfaction and that's not what I want." She gave Helene a questioning look. "What would _you_ do in my place?"

"Well, when Adrian caused trouble that made him get daggered, I did stuff like pull the dagger out, wait until he was conscious, and then put it back in again," Helene told her with a laugh. "Oh, Adrian was _so_ mad at me for that." She paused then asked, "Can I ask why you want revenge on him for stabbing you anyway? Isn't that like foreplay for the two of you?"

"Not when it's done _that way_ it's not," Victoria told her. "Stabbing me and then leaving me alone on the floor to bleed out isn't foreplay. And that's why I want revenge. I mean, don't get me wrong: I get that he did it to defend Malachai and Malachai is his family and all that, but still…he didn't have to stab me! I would have kept quiet! He could have trusted me! But he chose not to and that really hurts!"

"So instead of doing something to prove to him that he was wrong not to trust you, you're just gonna hurt him?" Helene asked.

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "I know it might be hard for you to understand, but it's how we roll. If he was in my place, he would do the same thing."

"All right," Helene nodded. "I won't get involved anymore, but good luck."

"Not that I need it," Victoria smiled. "But thank you very much." Then she went back to writing on the pad again as Helene went to her room to take a nap.

* * *

"So you're gonna go to an asylum and get these kids out," Kai said to his uncle. "And just where will you put them all once you have them? Depending on how many kids you're breaking out, you're not gonna have enough room for them all!"

"Can _you_ take some of them?" Malachai asked. "Please? It would really help me out. And it's not like you don't have the room since Helene doesn't live here anymore and it's just you and Adrian. Please?"

"Oh, all right!" Kai agreed. "But I'm giving you a caveat: I might be a bad influence. Are you prepared to deal with the results of that?"

"All right," Malachai agreed. "With how these kids have been living most of their lives, you'll probably be oddly familiar."

Adrian heard that and chuckled. "He's calling you nuts," he said.

"Yes," Kai said, turning to face Adrian, his eyes narrowed. "I get it. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Adrian replied cheerfully.

"So…when do you want to leave and pick a few of them up?" Malachai asked. "Tomorrow?"

"Oh, no!" Kai shook his head. "Not tomorrow. I'll need _much_ more time to get myself, the twins, and the house ready for a bunch of new guests."

"That's right, the twins," Malachai sighed. "I assume that you and Victoria are still both looking after them even though she's mad at you at the moment?"

"That's right," Kai replied.

"I could take Molly if you need to get her out of the house for a bit," Adrian offered. "It wouldn't be any trouble at all."

"Now if this was just an overnight thing, I'd take you up on it, but who knows how long the kids will be living here?" Kai asked him. "I wouldn't want to put you out that way. It would be a major inconvenience."

"No, it wouldn't," Adrian insisted.

"I'll drop her off at your house sometimes, but she's not staying with you full time," Kai told him. "I know you'd like it and I know she'd like it but I just don't see it being something that both Victoria and I would agree on, so I'm playing it safe and just keeping her with me. It was nice of you to offer, though."

"No problem," Adrian sighed, his lip jutting out a bit. "Whatever you say. You're the parent, after all."

* * *

Taking pity on his friend, Kai took Molly to Adrian's the next day so that he could have some one on one time with Finn. Feeding time got messy, which led to bath time where he ended up wetter than his son, and then at last, Kai decided to do something that _he_ enjoyed: watching TV. He sat down, put Finn squarely in his lap, and turned to an action movie where there were car crashes and things being blown up. Finn kept his eyes locked on the screen and didn't make a sound, so Kai thought he was enjoying it, but he wasn't and soon the picture changed from the action movie to a show Kai recognized as Happy Bunny's Fun Patch, a baby learning show Victoria encouraged the kids to watch. He groaned and turned Finn to face him.

"Why did you have to pick this show?" He asked. "Why couldn't you have picked Sesame Street instead? At least that has a vampire that counts on it." He then turned back to the action movie and Finn let out an irritated screech. The next several minutes were a battle between father and son to see if they would watch Sylvester Stallone or the Happy Bunny show.

Kai finally gave up when Finn sent the remote flying into his head, and, gritting his teeth, sat back for what ended up being five straight hours of Happy Bunny, even though Kai was sure that that was in no way the actual schedule for the network.

When the fifth hour was over, the TV finally turned off and Finn fell asleep in Kai's lap. Kai thought about moving him to his bed, but didn't want to risk waking him, so he watched an action movie on mute while stroking Finn's hair and absentmindedly humming to himself while also making a note to tell Victoria to give Finn and Molly a wider range of TV to watch.

* * *

"Have you thought of a plan to get back at Kai yet?" Helene asked Victoria a few days later. "Tell me what it is if you have. I'm interested to know."

"Well, I've come up with something, but I'm a bit hesitant to do it because it could end badly," Victoria replied.

"Badly how?" Helene asked.

"Badly as in it could end up more of a reward for Kai then a punishment if I'm not careful," Victoria replied. "Using a trail of chips that spans from the front door to our bedroom, I'll lure him there. He'll find me scantily dressed, and then when he gets close to me, I'll clobber him with one of Grandpa's baseball bats!" She burst into evil laughter and then when she'd calmed down, she said, "What do you think?"

"I think you're weak," Helene told her. "I think you just want to have sex with him and you're using this plan as an excuse."

"No, I'm not," Victoria told her. "I swear. I'm not weak! I have a plan!"

Helene scoffed. "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it."

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "You will."

* * *

And when Kai called about her taking the twins for a few days, Victoria saw her chance. She went to get them and purposely left one of her earrings on their bedside table. After the twins were settled under Helene's watchful eye, Victoria zapped herself into some white, lacy lingerie and covered it with a black trench coat before heading back to Kai to retrieve what she'd 'forgotten'. She got inside, hung her coat up, and then called for her husband.

"Well, well, well," Kai said as he approached her, a smirk on his lips. "That's a nice outfit. Did you come to make peace?"

"Yes," Victoria confessed and then kissed him deeply. "I understand why you did what you did and I forgive you."

"Well, that's very mature," Kai told her, taking her hand and leading her to their bed. "What do you say we make the best of this outfit before you have to go back to Helene?"

Victoria smiled as he unzipped his pants and tossed them aside and then did the same with his boxers before she leaned back and he climbed on top of her, leaning down to kiss her again and peel her panties off to add to the pile.

He then worked her hard and when he finally rolled off her, he was panting and drenched in sweat.

"You know, if you're tired from all your hard work, maybe I could take a turn now," Victoria offered, gently running her hand down his cheek. "Would you like that?"

"Yeah," Kai breathed. "All right." So he rolled over onto his back and she quickly straddled him and restraining his wrists before looking down into his blue eyes. "You ready, Malachai?" She whispered.

"Bring it on, Vicky," he said to her with a wink.

So she began thrusting and when he was really excited and smiling up at her, that's when she called up a long, sharp knife and, gripping it tightly, brought it up over her head. "Surprise, lover!" She said, bringing it down as Kai's laughter turned into screams. She stabbed him in the gut over and over and over until the walls, ceiling, and her white lingerie were spattered red with blood.

Then she got off him, licked the knife clean, and stood over her bleeding husband. "You're gonna heal eventually," she told him, sticking her finger into one of the wounds and then licking the blood off. "But I won't stay here to watch you do it. I'm gonna leave you alone to bleed, just like you left me. You remember when you did that?"

"Yes," Kai gurgled. "Vicky, I'm sorry."

"Too late," Victoria replied and then, without even removing the restraints, left him tied to the bed as she left her house, got in the car, and drove away.

* * *

"My god!" Helene cried, swaying a little when she saw Victoria had removed her coat. "What the hell did you _do_ to him?"

"Just stabbed him a bit," Victoria shrugged. "He'll heal, though. Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?"

"Yes," Helene nodded. "I was just having flashbacks of the first times I saw Adrian kill when we were kids. This isn't gonna become a habit, is it?"

"No," Victoria assured her. "Once was enough. I think Kai's learned his lesson."

"Good," Helene told her. "The twins are asleep."

"I'll go and check on them," Victoria said. "You rest. You've done enough today."

"And so have you," Helene told herself quietly, trying not to feel nervous about her blood-spattered friend being around babies. Victoria _was_ their mother after all. It was probably something they were used to by now.


	35. Necessary Full Disclosure

"And what is it that you want?" Victoria asked when she opened the door to a knock and saw Kai standing on the other side with some blood red roses in hand.

"I thought we could have a talk about our little encounter the other day," Kai told her as he stepped over the threshold and brushed her cheek with a rose. "That was fun. What are the chances of us doing it again?"

" _Fun_?" Victoria said in surprise. "I stabbed you and left you to bleed! How is that fun?" She paused. "Oh, wait? Why am I asking? I forgot that I was talking to a lunatic. Sometimes you seem so normal."

"Well, that's done now," Kai said, taking her in his arms. "Cause that's clearly not what you want anymore."

Victoria heard this and chuckled, although she held him at a distance. "If you think I'm up for nothing but a normal relationship, you don't know me very well. You think I would have even been with you to start out with if I wasn't a little kinky and violent myself?"

"You know, Vicky, that is a very good point," Kai told her. Then he held up the flowers. "Do you want me to put these in a vase or something, or should I just throw them away?"

"No, they're beautiful!" Victoria cried. "Don't waste them by throwing them away!"

"Well, given the state our relationship is in and the fact that they're a bribe, I wasn't sure you would want them," Kai remarked.

"I should be mad at you," Victoria nodded. "At least that's what Helene would say. But I figure since you stabbed me and I stabbed you in return, we're even and there's no point in dragging this on anymore."

"That's very mature," Kai told her. "I can respect that."

"Yes, I think you should," Victoria nodded as he put the flowers in a crystal vase he zapped up. "What do you want to do now?"

"Well, honestly I have no idea," Kai told her. "I didn't think I would get past giving you the flowers. I thought you were gonna take them, stomp on them, throw them away and push me out the door and laugh when I fell on my ass."

"I probably would have done that if you'd showed up at time Helene was home," Victoria said. "But she's gone now and I really think that we can move on and be back together."

"And what if she says something about it?" Kai asked and took her in his arms to give her a kiss. "What will you say?"

"I will say that I have nothing to be ashamed of," Victoria told him firmly. "And point out that if she wants to be away from Malachai, that's her business, but it's not if I want to make a different choice and be with you again. Plus, you need help with the twins, don't you?"

"Yes," Kai nodded. "If Finny deprives me of another day of TV watching because he wants to see that happy bunny show, I'm gonna go nuts. I really am."

"Thank you for making such an effort with him, though," Victoria told him. "I really appreciate it."

"Well, of course!" Kai told her. "He's my son and I don't want to make him feel the same way I felt with my own mother. I wouldn't subject anyone to that."

"Where are Finn and Molly now?" Victoria asked. "With Adrian? With someone from my family?"

"I brought them to your parents'," Kai assured her. "Your father has taken this whole situation between us a lot better than I thought he would."

"He _did_ used to be a professional torturer," Victoria reminded her husband. "And he was brainwashed to be evil for _years_. That and the fact that I stabbed you back real bad probably made him feel better about everything too."

"So, since we're both free…you wanna go to a movie or something?" Kai asked. "I'll even spring for the big popcorn and candy."

"Well, how can I say 'No' to that?" Victoria asked, taking his hand so he could lead her to her car.  
We can pick a movie when we get there."

"Sure," Kai nodded as the engine revved. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

"Would you like to explain to me what Kai was doing here?" Helene asked after Victoria told her about his visit. "Are you planning on getting back together with him? I hope not. Not this soon, anyway."

"He brought me flowers, we went to a movie, and then we decided that we're gonna make peace," Victoria told her. "As for your worry about my getting back together with someone you feel I shouldn't, that's an interesting statement for someone who still talks about her first husband so fondly. Are you thinking about Adrian too?"

"No!" Helene shook her head. "Malachai may have deceived me about certain things, but I _am_ planning on giving him another chance. There's no way I would go back to Adrian again. I will be his friend, but I will never again be his wife. I was talking about him nostalgically as a friend, not as a husband."

"Give Malachai a call to prove it," Victoria smiled. "If you really mean that, it shouldn't be hard."

"Fine," Helene spat and grabbed the phone. "I can do it. Just watch me."

"Good," Victoria replied with a smile. "I can't wait to see you walk the walk after doing all that talking."

Helene punched in the number, pressed the call button, and waited for the sound of Malachai's voice as Victoria smirked at her and she frowned back.

"Hello?" Malachai said in response to the ring as Molly, who was sitting in his lap, looked around for the source of the ringing.

"Hello," Helene replied. "How are you?"

"Helene!" Malachai cried in amazement. "I'm fine. How are you? Are you okay? How's the baby?"

"It's fine, but you're still not using it for any funny business," Helene replied, putting a hand on her stomach.

Then the voice on her end changed. "Hi, Malachai, it's Victoria. Is it actually you on the other end of the line, or is Helene just pretending?"

"No, it's me," Malachai said in surprise. "What's going on with you and Helene, Victoria?"

"Nothing," Victoria replied. "She's just giving me trouble about getting back with Kai, so I made her promise to call you and I wanted to make sure she wasn't screwing me over."

"She's not," Malachai told her. "It's really me. Now can I talk to Helene again, please?"

"All right," Victoria nodded. "Here she is again."

"How many times do I have to tell you that that won't happen?" Malachai told her after Helene repeated her concerns about their child being used for nefarious reasons. "Not with _our_ baby. I already had all the children I needed for the project before it came along."

"And what about Christine and Matthew?" Helene wanted to know. "Have you told them what their daughter's future holds?"

"Oh, I don't know if I can do that!" Malachai groaned. "I think Matthew has just started to trust me. Why ruin it?"

"Cause it's dishonest, that's why," Helene replied. "Once you get up the courage to tell Christine and Matthew about Sarah, I'll consider coming home. I hope that's enough incentive."

"It is," Malachai assured her, even though he was still doubtful. "I can't wait to see you."

* * *

So Malachai called Christine and Matthew to come to his house so they could talk, and then, with Helene's hand in his, prepared himself to tell the truth.

"I know that from the beginning, our relationship has been somewhat rocky because of my insistence on being in Sarah's life because without me, she'd have no one magical to help deal with her powers. Or at least no one who wouldn't be inconvenienced if you called them into your life," he got out, doing his best to keep his eyes on theirs. "But there's…there's another reason too. And you won't like that either, but Helene and I both feel that you should know."

"What is it?" Matthew asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion as his hands and arm muscles tensed. "Are you planning to do some horrible spell that will require you to sacrifice a child?"

"No, nothing like that," Malachai said. "I mean, the children could die, that's a possibility, but I didn't raise them specifically to be lambs for slaughter. My sister is a very powerful witch. Even as a spirit, she's causing all sorts of trouble. That's why I made my coven of thirteen children, including Sarah. To help defeat her and put her away for good."

"But she's just a baby!" Christine cried. "How do you expect her to do all that now?"

"Of course it won't happen now!" Malachai assured her quickly. "I have the good sense to wait to wage war until she's at least a teenager."

There was a silence from the adults as Sarah burbled and squirmed in her mother's lap, happy as a clam to see Malachai and Helene and having no idea that they were talking about her.

"Thank you for your honesty," Matthew told Malachai at last. His voice was tired. He wanted to be angry, but there was nothing Malachai said that truly surprised him anymore, and it wasn't worth yelling about cause that wouldn't change anything.

"You're not mad?" Malachai asked cautiously. "Tell me if you're mad, please."

"What does it matter if I'm mad?" Matthew asked. "Will that change anything?"

"No," Malachai said. "And I-I'm sorry about all this. I realize now that it probably wasn't the best course of action."

"The only thing that stops me from being so angry is that I know that if Sarah dies from all this, you'll be just as tortured about it as I am, right?"

"Of course," Malachai nodded.

"Well, I think that'll be punishment enough for everyone," Matthew told him. Then he strode away. Christine waited a few minutes before running after him with Sarah in her arms, and then Helene and Malachai took deep breaths and showed themselves out the door.


	36. An Offer Of Freedom

"Well, hello there," Malachai said as he opened the door in surprise to see Matthew holding Sarah in his arms. " _You're_ the one who brought her for her week? Not that I have a problem with that but honestly, I was expecting Christine."

"And you would have gotten your way if she hadn't decided just as we reached here that she wanted to stay in the car and watch me bring you in as proof that we bear you no ill will about Sarah."

"I understand if you still have anger," Malachai told him. "You have every right. I messed up. But I really _will_ be careful with Sarah. She means a lot to me."

"With the lengths you've gone to in order to be near her, I wouldn't expect anything else," Matthew said. He handed Malachai Sarah and a small sandwich bag full of wheat crackers. "Christine also told me to make sure you give these to Helene. She says they're good for morning sickness."

Malachai smiled as he took the bag. "Thank you," he said. "I'm sure she'll be glad to have them."

"You're welcome," Matthew told him. They stared at one another in awkward silence for a few minutes before Matthew gave Sarah one last kiss, mumbled a 'Goodbye', and ran back toward his car where Christine was waiting for him.

Malachai watched them go and then shut the door and took Sarah to the bedroom where Helene was convalescing. Although they were back together now, Malachai could tell that she was still a little wary of him. While she wasn't necessarily withholding all affection, she wasn't as forthcoming with it as she'd been before he'd told her about all his children.

"Sarah's here," he said quietly from the doorway. "And Matthew gave me some crackers to give you to help with your stomach."

Helene didn't even look up at the sound of his voice. She stayed absorbed in her book until Malachai decided to just leave her crackers on the dresser and let her be in peace until she was willing to talk to him. But as he was about to go, she put her book down and looked at him.

"Sorry about that," she apologized. "I was at a good spot in my book and I wanted to get through it before I talked to anyone."

"Oh," Malachai nodded. "Okay." He watched her put her book down and handed her the crackers. "Do you just want to stay in here, or would you like to come out and play with Sarah and me?"

"Sure I'll come and play with you both," Helene said. "Just let me take a shower and I'll be out after."

"All right," Malachai smiled. "We'll be waiting. And be careful. You don't want to fall and hurt yourself."

"I'll be careful," Helene promised. "Don't worry."

* * *

Malachai trusted her, but let out a relieved breath when she came into the living room in a bathrobe and wet hair.

"You were still worried about me, weren't you?" Helene asked, sitting down.

"Well, yes," Malachai nodded.

"Thanks," Helene smiled and came over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "That's really sweet of you." Then she grabbed Sarah and gave her a hug. "How are you?" She asked, kissing the little girl's hair. "I really missed you. You're gonna have a little friend to play with soon."

"Would you mind watching Sarah tomorrow?" Malachai asked. "Would it be too much for you?"

"Why?" Helene asked. "I mean, not that I wouldn't love to, but are you going somewhere?"

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "Tomorrow is the day we pick up three of my kids from the asylum where their mothers dumped them because they didn't know how to handle their powers."

"That's a really nice thing for you to do," Helene told him. "But don't expect them to just jump into your arms, give you hugs, and be grateful. After all they've been through; trust is probably gonna be an issue for them."

"Oh, of course I don't expect them to love me right away," Malachai told her. "I just want them to have a safe place to be so they can feel accepted for the first time in their lives. That's the main goal of this plan. Not because I want anything in return."

"All right," Helene smiled. "Good. That's what I want to hear."

* * *

That night, Helene was much more willing to be close to Malachai than she had been before. She actually undressed in front of him instead of locking herself in the bathroom and emerging in her pajamas, and then crawled in bed next to him as Malachai pulled the blankets over both of them.

"Well, this is a nice surprise," he told her with a smile as he took her face in his hands and gave her a gentle but deep kiss. When they pulled apart, he said, "Would you like to…go further? We're both not wearing anything and-"

"Sure," Helene nodded. "If I didn't, I would have come to bed in my pajamas."

Malachai chuckled. "Tell me," he said. "What changed your mind?"

"For the record, I still am a bit wary of this whole 'use a coven of children to do in your sister' thing and I probably won't feel completely at ease until it's all over with," Helene warned. "But I just…I really like what you're doing for the kids who have probably never had a normal life before, and just how you've embraced Percy and Sarah. That's really good of you."

"Since I started this whole mess, the least I can do is make sure everyone is healthy and safe," Malachai told her. "That's what I think."

"Good," Helene smiled as he ran his hands over her body, took her in his arms, and entered her gently. "That's what I think too."

* * *

"Are you really going with your uncle to the asylum to get the kids who are coming to live with us?" Victoria asked Kai as they got up the next morning. "When is that, anyway?"

"Tomorrow," Kai told her. "And thanks for being such a good sport about having a few extra house guests. I really wanted to help Malachai out with this."

"Well, they're older, I assume, so they'll be able to do a reasonable job of being self-sufficient and I won't have to watch them every minute like I do the twins," Victoria told him. "That made it a lot easier to say 'Yes'. And I can't help but feel bad for these children who have been told they were freaks and crazies their whole lives because of their magic. Anything that I can do to help with that, I will."

"We're getting two girls and a boy, I think," Kai told her. "Davina, Samantha, and Ian."

"How exciting," Victoria smiled. "I can't wait to meet them."

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better?" Kai asked. "I volunteered our house as a residence to help Uncle Malachai, but if you're upset about it, say so."

"If I was upset about it, I would have said something by now, so I'm not," Victoria told him. "Although if you keep telling me to be angry, you won't have long to wait before you get your wish!"

Kai sucked in his breath and gave her a wink. "Oh, your anger is making me all tingly! Go ahead and hit me. It'll do me some good!"

"No!" Victoria shook her head. "Not because you _want_ me to."

"Oh, come on, Vicky!" Kai said and took her in his arms to give her a kiss. "Please?"

"All right," Victoria sighed and punched him in the eye. "There, are you happy? Can I go to sleep now?"

"Sure," Kai agreed and reached under the covers to run his hand over her back and bottom while she reached up to turn off the light over the bed. "Will you be up in case I want you during the night?"

"How likely is that to happen?" Victoria asked. "You know I'm never at my best when I'm woken up suddenly."

"I know, but when I have needs, I'll take anything I can get," Kai told her.

"Those poor children," Victoria said, looking at the dark shape of her husband on the mattress beside her. "I really fear for those children having you as a role model."

"Or I could be the best role model ever," Kai said, offering the opposite view. "We'll see, won't we?"

* * *

When Kai and Malachai reached the asylum, they told the woman at the desk why they'd come. "You remember," Kai told her as they locked eyes. "We want to take Davina, Samantha, and Ian away from here."

"Are you sure?" The nurse asked. "They're three of the dangerous ones, you know. "Even their mothers hardly visit them." She paused. "Is that what you're here for? As an agent of the mothers? To take the children away and do an even better job than we can to save people from those menaces?"

"Well, that's a judgmental way of putting it, but I suppose the answer is 'Yes'," Kai remarked sourly. "Now just…where are they?"

"Follow me," the nurse replied. "You'll have to let yourselves into the cell. I'm not risking my life anymore." She let them to a closed door behind which crying and screaming emanated. The nurse turned the lock and said 'Good luck' before leaving Kai and Malachai alone to enter the room.

They stood inside the doorway, getting a glimpse of three pale kids with dark hair and sunken dark eyes.

"We were just beaten," one of the girls managed to spit out in a voice hoarse from all the screaming she did, turning her head slowly as tears ran down her cheeks. "Don't come and hurt us anymore. Please."

"No, no!" Malachai said, trying to sound gentle and non-threatening. "The last thing we want to do is hurt you. In fact, we want to take you away from here and give you a better place to live."

"It's a trick," The boy said. His voice was also hoarse. "They probably just want to take us somewhere worse!"

"What could possibly be worse than here?" Asked the second girl. "This is hell on earth. What do we have to lose by going with them?" She did the best she could to sit up and, looking in Malachai's direction, said, "Sir, are you really going to take us away? It's not a cruel joke is it?"

"No," Malachai told her, stepping a little closer. "When we say we're going to give you a better home, we mean it. Now…how about I remove those straitjackets so you can at least move around normally?"

"All right," the girl said as her friends nodded, still looking at Malachai with suspicion. As he undid the straitjackets and the kids sat up, the second girl told him, "My name's Davina, and these two are Ian and Samantha. We can do magic."

"Don't tell him that!" Ian ordered gruffly. "He could want to take us away to a circus or something for all we know! Being open about our powers was what got us put here in the first place!"

"Well, don't worry about that," Malachai said, using his magic to open the door. "I have magic too. I know you're perfectly sane. My name's Malachai, and that's my nephew Kai by the door there. We're taking you to Kai's house so you can live with him and his wife who's also got magic.."

"Why would you want to be so nice to us?" Samantha asked.

Feeling it was too early to confess the real reason for his generosity, he said, "I just…I really feel for you. I heard from your mothers about what was happening and I wanted to give you a better home. Of course you can stay here if you want, but I don't see why that would be."

"We'll come!" Davina said immediately. "Or at least _I_ will. I don't know who you are, but anywhere is better than here."

Samantha and Ian looked at one another, rolled their eyes at how quickly Davina had agreed to the stranger's offer, and then Ian said, "Okay, we'll come too. But you better not be lying to us."

"Well, I'm not, but you won't know that for sure unless you trust me," Malachai told him. They then led the trio out of the cell, through the asylum, and out the front door, and to the trio's surprise, no one stopped them.

"It's very bright out here," Davina remarked as they got in the car. "I'd nearly forgotten what the sun looked like."

"It's about time someone helped you remember, then," Malachai told her. "That's what I'm taking you to your new home for."


	37. Let My Love Open The Door

"So…can I get you anything?" Victoria asked going into Davina's room. "I tried the others first, but their doors are closed and I didn't want to disturb them."

"You have good instincts," Davina told her. "Neither Samantha nor Ian could be considered a people person. They like to keep to themselves, even when they're stuck in a cell with other people." She sighed.

"I'm really sorry you had to go through that," Victoria told her. "But no one will treat you that way here. You can do whatever you want with your powers and you'll get encouragement instead of a scolding."

"I know Kai has magic, but do you?" Davina wanted to know. "And if you do, can I see it?"

"Yeah, I have magic," Victoria assured her. "Both my parents have powers so my having them wasn't a surprise. And once I knew what I could do, I have to admit I took full advantage of it. Making my mother levitate was a favorite trick of mine."

"And did she…enjoy it when you did that?" Davina wanted to know.

"Oh, of course she didn't!" Victoria shook her head. "In fact, that's what got me in the most trouble when I was a child. Luckily for her, I grew out of doing it for fun, though."

"You're so lucky," Davina said. "I would have done anything to grow up with parents who didn't mind my powers. They didn't even try to understand!"

"But you don't have to worry about that now because Kai and I will try and understand," Victoria assured her. "We'll help you in any way you want. I still have to show you my magic, don't I? Hold out your hand."

Davina did so and then gasped when a tall chocolate ice cream cone appeared in it.

"Do you like chocolate?" Victoria asked, then changed it. "Or would you prefer vanilla?"

"No, chocolate is great!" Davina said. "Thank you! Thank you very much."

"You're welcome," Victoria told her. Then one of the twins (she believed it was Molly) began fussing so she had to excuse herself. "I hope you don't mind sharing a house with babies. I know they're not for everyone."

"It's fine," Davina assured her before taking a few licks of her cone. "They're much quieter than lots of people at the asylum. That's for sure."

"All right," Victoria said. "I'll be back later if you need me."

When she reached Molly's room, Kai was already there, calming Molly down.

"You're handling it?" Victoria nodded. "Good. I'll just go find another way to amuse myself, then."

"Sure," Kai nodded. "Making any headway with the kids or are they mostly keeping to themselves?"

"Ian and Samantha are keeping to themselves, but Davina and I have talked," Victoria told him. "It's a good start, anyway."

"Do you think having them here will be a problem?" Kai asked.

"No, of course not!" Victoria shook her head. "I think we'll be able to handle it. It's like you always say: if I can waltz into your jail cell and make you like me, even if it took time, then I can do that with anyone, even kids who have been unloved and stuck in an asylum most of their lives."

"Good," Kai nodded. "That's a very lucky thing."

"Are you going to bond with them too?" Victoria asked. "Or will it all be up to me?"

"No, I'll try too," Kai assured her. "But don't you think I should wait a bit to try and get close to them until they're a bit more used to being here?"

"True," Victoria nodded. "What a good point. Are you taking Molly to see Adrian today? Or is it a rare occasion where he's out visiting friends or something?"

"What friends?" Kai asked. "He hasn't let anyone besides me get close to him ever…at least not that I'm aware of. And he likes it that way."

"Yes, but don't you think you should _try_ and help him get a wider circle of friends?" Victoria asked. "I know you like having him all to yourself, but it would be nice to at least give him the option of expanding his circle."

"Okay," Kai sighed. "Next time Molly and I go to see him, I'll ask him if he wants to go to a bar or something and make friends."

"No, don't take him to a bar!" Victoria cried. " _That's_ not where he'll make good quality friends!"

"Well, how would good quality friends mesh with the two of us?" Kai asked her. "We need to get other people that fit in, if we get them at all, that is."

Victoria sighed. "All right," she said. "I guess I'll butt out. You know what's best."

"For Adrian, yes, I do," Kai nodded. "I think I'll take Molly and go now," he said. "Since you're gonna be okay here by yourself and all."

"Yes," Victoria nodded. "I will. Have a good time."

"Thank you," Kai nodded. "I intend to."

After he'd gotten Molly all set up in her car seat, Kai took out his phone and called Adrian, just to make sure that he was free.

"Hey, I have Molly with me and I was wondering if she and I could come visit," he said when Adrian answered. "That could be fun, don't you think?"

Adrian was silent for a long time and then Kai said, "Hey, are you still there?"

"Yes, but I'm trying to think," Adrian replied. "My daughter is visiting and I want to have a set up that's fair to everyone."

"So I assume it's the daughter whose childhood you completely screwed up because you and Helene were fighting?" Kai asked. "Cause I can wait until she leaves. I understand."

"Can you hold on a minute?" Adrian wanted to know.

"Sure," Kai replied. "Do whatever you need."

The line went silent as Adrian put the phone down and went back to the living room to talk to Felicity.

"Who was on the phone?" She asked without looking at him. "Was it Kai? Does he want to bring his kid over for you to play with?"

"Yes," Adrian told her honestly. "Yes, he does. But he said he would be more than happy to find some other way to occupy their time until you and I are done here."

"You want me to leave, don't you?" Felicity asked.

"No, of course I don't want you to leave!" Adrian told her. "I want you here with me so we can visit like we planned."

"Really?" Felicity asked.

"Really," Adrian confirmed and gave her a hug. Then he said, "So should I tell Kai to wait?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Felicity said. "And if he brings the little bundle of darkness with him, that'll add excitement to my day."

"She is _not_ a little bundle of darkness!" Adrian huffed. "Probably no worse than you were at her age."

"Okay," Felicity shrugged. "Whatever you say, Daddy." She paused. "Oh, and by the way, I think I'm gonna break up with Stefan soon."

"Really?" Adrian asked. "Why?"

"Cause it's just not as fun as it used to be," Felicity told him. "I feel like we got together because he was there, not because I really liked him and now I want to try someone else."

"Who did you have in mind?" Adrian wanted to know. "I feel like I should tell my father so he's mentally prepared."

"I know Grandpa raised me and all, but do you really think he'll care that much about who I date?" Felicity asked.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Adrian assured her. "So…who do you have in mind?"

"I don't know at the moment," Felicity shrugged. "But I'm sure I'll find someone soon."

"Good luck," Adrian told her. "I hope it turns out well for you."

"I think it will," Felicity assured him. "Don't worry about that."

* * *

Having gotten that off her chest, she was in pretty good spirits when Kai showed up with Molly. She even played with the baby while Kai and Adrian talked.

"Seems like she really likes you," Kai told her. "You should take that as a compliment."

"I will," Felicity nodded. Though she could still sense some darkness inside Molly, it wasn't as intense this time. Maybe because she was more comfortable with Molly and neither saw the other as a threat. "Does she get along with many people?"

"Not really," Kai said. "She's kind of like me that way. Even Victoria isn't her favorite person and she's Molly's mother." Then he turned to face Adrian. "And speaking of Victoria, she says I should at least offer you the opportunity to make new friends instead of monopolizing all your time. Should we do that? Should we try and get you some new friends?"

Adrian chuckled. "As well-intentioned as your wife is, I think she doesn't understand me very well. I'm perfectly happy with it just being you and me with the occasional phone call from Helene."

"Why are you still talking to your ex-wife?" Kai wanted to know.

"Cause even though we're not married, she was my friend first and when she's not running my life, we get along pretty well," Adrian told him. "Why? Does that make your uncle nervous?"

"I shouldn't think so," Kai shook his head. "He's never even mentioned you."

"Well, good," Adrian replied. "That's one less thing for me to worry about."

"Not that he would have much time to come after you if there _was_ something to worry about," Kai continued. "He's taken it upon himself to mentor some magical children who've never really been taught how to use their powers before."

"That's pretty generous," Adrian said. "What motivated him to do that?"

"He's always done it," Kai replied. "First with me, now with these other kids. I think it's good for him. And Helene will be a good help too."

"Yep," Adrian nodded. "She definitely will."

* * *

"When are we going to go visit the kids?" Helene asked Malachai. "You weren't just gonna dump them off at Kai and Victoria's and then leave them there, were you?"

"Of course not!" Malachai told her. "But choosing when to visit them is a very delicate thing."

"Really?" Helene asked, her arms crossed. "Why? You're their father, after all. Shouldn't they know?"

"Not yet," Malachai shook his head. "If I tell them now, they might think it means I expect them to bond with me right away and I don't want to put that burden on their shoulders before they're ready."

"That's very smart," Helene said with approval. "Victoria and Kai have had them for a little while now, so let's go over, see who's adjusting the best, and start there. Or we could give them a call and invite the kids to come here."

"Yes, let's do that," Malachai said eagerly.

So they made a call to Victoria and she told them about Davina, who agreed to come and visit them.

"You have a very nice house," she said as she came through the door and Helene removed her coat and hung it up in the closet.

"Don't we just, though?" Helene smiled. "Malachai did really well when he picked it out. Would you like to sit down? And can I get you a drink or something?"

"Sure, thanks," Davina replied, sitting down, smoothing out the wrinkles in her pink skirt (she and Victoria had gone shopping the day before and got her an entirely new wardrobe). "Whatever you have is fine."

"All right," Helene said. She went and got her some lemonade and a snack as Davina and Malachai chatted in the living room.

"How are things going at my nephew's house?" He asked. "Are they treating you and the other two well?"

"As well as Samantha and Ian will let them," Davina nodded. "I'm really the only one who's ready to give them a chance, which is a real shame because they're missing out. They really are."

"They'll come around in time," Malachai told her. "Kai was raised by a mother who didn't hold him in very high regard so it took him a long time to be willing to get close to anyone too. We just have to be patient and give them that, even if we really want to be close to them." He paused and asked, "Just out of curiosity, which of the other two will come through it all first?"

"Samantha," Davina said immediately. "As for Ian, I don't know how long he'll take. He had it bad. Like, really, _really_ bad."

Malachai was anxious to press her for more details, but was stopped by Helene coming into the living room with snacks.

"Here, let me get that," he offered and hurried over her to take the tray. "You sit down."

"Thank you," Helene told him and did just that. "We'll have a nice little party here, the three of us. Four when Sarah gets up from her nap."

"Who's Sarah?" Davina asked.

"She's my daughter," Malachai said. "I hope you don't mind being around more babies after dealing with the twins at Kai and Victoria's. Sarah's a very good-tempered child."

"Don't worry," Davina assured him and drank some lemonade. "I'm fine with babies. I can't wait to meet Sarah, especially if I come over here a lot. She'll be like the little sister I never had."

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "I bet she will be."


	38. A Third Wheel Becomes A Musketeer

"So what do you think?" Samantha asked when Victoria and Kai left the house with the twins and she used the opportunity to leave her room and go see Ian. "Are you ready to give them a shot? I will if you will."

"No," Ian sighed as he pushed some of his dark hair out of his eyes. "In fact, I don't even know why we came here in the first place."

"It's not that bad," Samantha told him. "It's better than the asylum, anyway."

"Yeah, now it is because they want us to trust them," Ian spat. "But once we do, they're just gonna try and control our lives. Someone should tell Davina that before she gets herself in trouble."

"I don't think we need to worry about Davina," Samantha told him as she put a hand on his arm. "She can take care of herself."

"Yeah," Ian nodded and pushed his hair back. Then he gave Samantha a smile and put his arms around her.

Unlike Davina, who'd grown up an only child in her household, Samantha and Ian were twins. They'd grown up in the same house with the same powers which, although it had been a hardship for their parents, had been a real boon for them, especially when they were told they were going to be sent away. They'd had each other to be with in their cell, doing magic, telling each other stories, and sharing thoughts of what they would do when they got out and hopefully found a family that was better than the one they'd been born to.

"How long should we stay here, do you think?" Samantha asked her brother. "We should probably stay put for a little bit since we just got here, but I see no reason to call this our home forever."

"Yeah," Ian agreed. "These people will want to be our family and have us accept them, but honestly, I don't need other family besides you. The only person I trust is you."

"You know," Samantha smiled and pushed her dark hair out of her eyes. "I feel the same way."

They sat in each other's arms for a moment with Samantha laying her cheek on her brother's shoulder. Then her stomach grumbled and she said, "Since they're gone, you wanna go to the kitchen and raid the fridge? I'm getting a bit antsy about having to be in our rooms all the time."

"Sure," Ian agreed. "But we'll have to make it quick. Who knows how long we have until they come back?"

They left their room and sprinted past Davina's open door, hoping that she wouldn't poke her head out and want to talk to them or ask questions. They grabbed everything they could get their hands on (bread, cookies, lunch meat, and leftover pizza to name a few things) and headed back to Ian's room to eat, taking a deep breath and being grateful that no one had seen them.

* * *

"So what are you doing at your house?" Rebecca asked Victoria as she cuddled Molly in her lap. "Did you _really_ take in three kids with unstable magic?"

"Yes, but we've already gotten one liking us," Victoria told her aunt, who was her father's sister. "Now we just need to work on the others."

"And how is it you plan to do that?" Eli asked Kai. "Tempt them into dark and evil ways?"

"No," Kai shook his head. "I've already promised I'd be a good influence and I'm actually gonna try and work on that."

"Well, good," Eli smiled in a forced way. "Great." He left the room and Kai looked at Victoria. "I still don't think he likes me," he told her.

"You _did_ kidnap and torture his son," Victoria reminded him. "You don't just get over that."

Kai looked at Rebecca. "How good did you have to be before he liked _you_?"

"Don't worry," Rebecca assured him, pushing her blonde hair out of her eyes. "I'll go talk to him." She handed Molly back to Victoria and went in search of her husband. She found him in their room sitting on their bed and staring at the wall. "What's going on?" She asked. "Why are you being so mean to Kai?"

"Did you forget that he kidnapped our son?" Eli asked. "How can I be nice to him after that?"

"Cause we all make mistakes," Rebecca replied. "We all do bad things. Don't forget that our whole relationship happened while you were still married to Louisa. That's pretty reprehensible stuff."

"But Louisa had Robbie, so it's not like she was left with _nothing_ when I cheated," Eli tried to reason.

"No," Rebecca said firmly. "If you want to hate Kai, hate Kai. There's nothing I can do to change that. But Victoria seems to like him, so can you at least be civil while they're here? We might never see them again if you aren't and I don't like that."

"Oh, all right," Eli sighed. "I suppose I could try for your sake if you really wanted me to."

When they got back to the living room, Eli got a surprise.

"I know I've never said this before, and it's probably why you don't like me, but…I'm sorry I kidnapped your son," Kai told him. "I shouldn't have used him as a pawn in the whole mess with Victoria. It was wrong of me."

"Well, that's very generous of you to say," Eli told him as they shook hands. "Thank you."

"Are we all friends now?" Rebecca asked. "Can the rest of this visit be pleasant?"

"You won't get any more trouble from me," Eli assured her.

"Or me," Kai agreed.

"Good," Rebecca smiled and got one of Molly's toys so she and Victoria could play with her while Eli and Kai continued with their détente as they looked after Finn, who was feeling very sneaky that day and took up his mother's old trick of levitating other people with Eli as his guinea pig.

"Help!" Eli cried as he dangled in the air. "Help me! Help me!"

"Now Finny, we have to be nice to Eli," Kai told him firmly. "Now, I don't know much about baby magic, but if you're doing this to him on purpose, you have to stop and let him down, okay?"

Finn's little lip jutted out, but after Kai sat him straight on his lap, Eli was rocketed downward toward the floor and hit it hard.

"Are you okay?" Kai asked Eli as Eli scrambled to his feet. "How badly are you hurt?"

"I'm a vampire," Eli said and held his head as Rebecca ran over to check on him. "It's nothing that I won't recover from, but thank you for being concerned anyway."

"You're welcome," Kai said as Rebecca led Eli to the kitchen for an ice pack and Molly stared innocently at Victoria, looking very pleased that it was one of those rare occasions where she wasn't the one who did something wrong.

* * *

"You have the look of a man who's just spent several hours with relatives," Adrian said as Kai came through his door. "You want a drink?"

"Well, yes, I'd love one," Kai told him. "But it really wasn't that bad. The guy Victoria's aunt married didn't like me at first, but I won him over."

"Good for you!" Adrian complimented. "And just who is that?"

"Eli," Kai said as he took a seat. "Eli, who married Victoria's aunt Rebecca."

Adrian thought a moment, and then sucked in his breath. "That's my uncle Elijah's grandson, you know. You have to tread carefully with him. That's how it is with all of Uncle Elijah's line, by the way." He smiled. "Well, except for Gregory. He and I go out for drinks sometimes. He's cool. I'll have you meet him if you want."

"Okay," Kai huffed at the idea of Adrian having another friend. "I guess I'd like that." He paused. "When are we going? Are we leaving now?"

"Why not?" Adrian asked. "Is that a problem?"

"No," Kai shook his head. "It's not."

* * *

So they headed to Katherine and Gregory's and Kai didn't say a word in the car, especially not after Gregory got in and Kai felt he should be in the back seat so Adrian could sit with his cousin.

As Adrian and Gregory both reminisced about family times, Kai sat in silence in the backseat, not being able to say a word. When they reached the bar and got out of the car, Adrian looked at his friend and apologized.

"You were really quiet in the car and I think I know why," he said. "Sorry we didn't include you in the conversation."

"That's okay," Kai told him. "Even if you had, I probably wouldn't have had much to say anyway. You want me to buy the drinks?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Adrian told him. "My sister runs the place. I bet I can get her to give them to us for free!"

"And how often does that work?" Gregory asked as he motioned for the other two to go ahead of him into the bar while he closed the door.

"I try it every time and _sometimes_ it works," Adrian told him. "So we'll just see what the atmosphere is like today."

"Before you ask," Ronan told Adrian as they approached the bar, "Roxie told me to tell you if you showed up that from now on, I'm only supposed to comp your first drinks and then you have to pay for the others."

Adrian groaned. "Oh, come on, Ronan!" He said to his paternal grandfather. "I'm trying to show my friends a good time here, and how am I supposed to do that if I have to pay for every drink?"

"Well, the water is free," Ronan said as Gregory burst into laughter at Adrian's outraged expression. "How about trying the water?"

"Or we could all pay for our own drinks," Gregory said when he could catch his breath. "That seems like the sensible thing to do."

"And you're always the one to do the sensible thing," Ronan smirked. "Doesn't surprise me."

Gregory turned to Adrian. "Is that some sort of slight about my father?"

"Possibly," Adrian nodded. "I mean you didn't get sensibility from Mom. I mean, she has it, but it's not one of the things she likes to be known for."

"That's true," Gregory said. "I love Mother, but sometimes I wonder about her."

"You guys have the same mom?" Kai asked. "I thought you were cousins!"

"We are," Adrian said. "Our dads are brothers and we have the same mom. The lady that ran Sweet Emotions."

"That's a surprise," Kai remarked. "Who'd have thought that a woman who makes cupcakes could lure in two brothers?"

"Three, actually," Adrian corrected. "She was married to our Uncle Alexander right after she became a vampire. It was before she knew everything about our family."

"Well, she really sounds like something else," Kai remarked. "Can I meet her sometime?"

"Sure," Adrian nodded. "We'll take you."

"Unless you think she'll be too scared of me because of my crazy tendencies," Kai backpedaled. "Do you think she will be?"

"No," Gregory shook his head. "But presumably my father already has heard about you, and based on my mother's own dark past which he has put a lot of effort into pulling her out of, he'll probably be nervous about you being around her, so we'll have to bring you on a day he won't be home."

"That shouldn't be hard," Adrian remarked. "You think you can provide a distraction?"

"Sure," Gregory nodded. "I think I can."

They then ordered their round of free drinks, toasted, and made plans for what would happen when Kai met Selina, with Kai wondering all the while just how dark she'd have to be not to be scared of him at all. Victoria and her bunch were one thing, but Kai wondered if anyone could be as dark as them. _Especially_ someone who made cupcakes.


	39. The Snowy Day

"So how do we do this?" Kai asked Adrian as they approached Selina and Elijah's house. "Do I be as polite as possible, or what?"

"Nah, just be yourself," Adrian advised. "I think Mom can handle it." He opened the door with his key and then they stepped inside.

The house was eerily silent, so Gregory called out, "Mother? I came to visit with Adrian and we brought a friend. Are you here?"

They didn't get a response, so they began walking around and calling out for her again. Finally, they came to Selina and Elijah's closed bedroom door, behind from which really alarming noises were emanating: growls, moans, screams. The sound of someone struggling and in pain.

"Mom?" Adrian called. "Are you in there? Are you okay?"

"Don't come in here!" Selina called back. "You could get hurt!"

"Mother, what's going on?" Gregory said. "Can you talk to us, please? Maybe we can help."

"I need blood!" She cried. "Your uncle keeps all of it safe somewhere so I can't overindulge, and he left me with a few bags, but I drank it all and I need more!"

"Okay, just hold on!" Adrian assured her. "We'll get it for you. Don't worry. But first, let us get you out of there, because I really don't think you should be alone in the state you're in."

"I don't think it's a good idea to let me out," Selina replied in a muffled voice cause she had her head smushed against a pillow. "I don't want to scare your friend."

"Oh, don't worry," Kai called to her. "Whatever's going on with you, I bet I've done much worse."

With that, Adrian took a deep breath and opened the door. They took a few steps inside when all of a sudden, there was a dark blur and soon, Kai was knocked to the ground and Selina was kneeling on him with her knee in his chest, breathing heavily as she prepared to bite him.

"Oh, my god," he said as he looked up at her distorted face. "You _are_ the cupcake lady, aren't you? If you want to eat me, go ahead, I don't mind. Just don't take too much, okay? My wife might get jealous if she knew I was letting other people suck on me."

Gregory rolled his eyes at this remark and Adrian snorted.

Kai's lack of fear brought Selina back to her senses enough that her sons were able to help her to her feet so that Kai could stand up. "Sorry," she apologized to him and then took several deep breaths. "Sorry."

"It's not a problem," Kai shrugged. "Stuff like that happens to me all the time. So…you have restraint issues?"

"A bit," Selina nodded. "But I wish I didn't."

"Well, let's get you that blood, shall we?" Gregory asked, taking his mother's arm. "Where does Father keep it?"

"In a freezer in his office that has a lock on it," Selina replied. "So good luck getting in if you don't have the key."

"Not a problem," Adrian told her, his voice full of determination. "Where's his office?"

Selina brought them there while Gregory held tightly to her hand and tried to whisper calm and reassuring words to her, and then she pointed out the safe with the big lock on it.

"See?" Adrian said matter-of-factly after punching it and breaking the lock so he could open the safe door. "No key, no problem. How many more blood bags do you think you'll need?"

"Grab a couple, please," Selina requested. "Even though I'm feeling much better now, you never know."

Adrian got them and then stepped back to look at the mess he'd made of the safe door. "Do you think Uncle Elijah will notice this?" He asked. "And if he does, will he blame you?"

"Oh, I don't think he will," Selina shook her head. "At least not in the condition I'm in." She paused and looked back and forth between her sons. "Thank you for your help," she said. Then she looked at Kai. "And I'm sorry about almost attacking you."

"No problem," Kai shrugged as they made their way to the kitchen. "I was warned that you were a bit dark. I am too."

Selina had her blood and then after putting the bags in the fridge, sat down and they sat down with her. "So…what brings you boys here?" She asked. "I bet you didn't come solely to help me out of this crisis."

"No, Kai here just wanted to meet you because we told him about your past," Adrian replied.

"Ah," Selina smiled. "I shouldn't be surprised. Even though that's not something I'm proud of anymore, I'm still lauded for it in certain circles."

"Oh, come on Mom," Adrian smirked. "You can't be ashamed of _everything_. You kind of like how you and Uncle Elijah outsmarted Mikael so he hates you now."

"Yeah," Selina smiled. "I guess _that's_ kind of awesome." She stood up and said, "Can I get you guys anything? I forgot to ask."

Both Adrian and Gregory refused the offer, but Kai got up to follow her to the stove. "I'll take you up on that. What do you have around?"

"What do you want?" Selina wanted to know. "I believe I have a little bit of everything."

A few minutes later, Kai found Selina's rows of cake domes filled with cupcakes and cookies. "Hey, cupcakes!" He cried, taking as many of the chocolate-frosted chocolate cupcakes as he could carry without making too big a mess.

"Glad you like them," Selina said with appreciation. "I don't really have anyone around to help me get rid of my supply as quickly as I build it up."

"That's not a problem," Kai told her. "Just invite me over every day. I can be a _big_ help."

Selina smiled. "We'll see. We wouldn't want to make your wife angry."

"And it's a shame that Victoria is descended from the one member of the family Mom doesn't have much contact with," Adrian replied. Then he looked at his mother. "Kai is married to Victoria. You haven't talked to her much, right?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "Not really." She paused. "You guys can go and do something else if you want. You don't have to stay here and entertain me."

"We're going to stay until Father comes home," Gregory told her firmly. "We don't want you to get in the same trouble you were in when we found you."

"All right," Selina conceded. "Thank you for that. It's very kind."

When Elijah arrived home (coincidentally from helping Kol clean up a mess he'd made), Gregory told him what happened, and after Elijah had looked Selina over to make sure she was all right, thanked the boys for taking care of her, and then they went on their way to find something else to do. They tried to find something that they would all enjoy, but after several minutes of trying, it became clear that the only option was to go back to Roxie's, have a drink, and maybe play a few games of pool before going their separate ways.

* * *

By the time Kai got home, a pile of snow had built up on the ground, and when Victoria came to meet him at the door, she was full of relief. "I didn't know how hard it would be for you to get back because of the snow," She said and gave him a kiss. "How was your day with Adrian and Gregory?"

"Nice," Kai smiled. "They took me to meet their mother. You really should get to know her. She's nice."

"Oh, I know _of_ her," Victoria smiled. "Grandpa Mikael complains about her all the time, but I figured she wasn't really as bad as he says."

"No," Kai shook his head. "Her house is full of cupcakes. How could she be bad?"

"You didn't fill yourself up so you won't be able to eat dinner, did you?" Victoria asked.

"If that's what you're worried about, bundle the kids up and we can go play in the snow," Kai suggested. "It'll be fun."

"If you don't think they're too young to enjoy that, all right," Victoria nodded. They bundled the twins up in their blue and pink jackets, hats, mittens, and boots, and then took them out to play.

While Finn enjoyed the snow and even used his magic to have a snowball fight with Kai, Molly was not a fan of the cold, and the first time Kai offered her some snow to touch, she burst into tears.

"Well, you can't say you didn't try," Victoria sighed and picked her up to take her back in the house, giving herself a chuckle when she aimed a snowball at Kai's bottom and it hit with a loud _thwack!_

After Victoria got Molly inside, she gave her a warm bath and put her in socks, jeans, and a red sweater. Molly still seemed a little put out by being made to go outside, so as a bonus, Victoria got one of the warm towels out of the dryer and wrapped her up in it before sitting down with Molly in her lap, her daughter's head resting on her chest as she turned on some soft jazz with the TV remote and dimmed the lights. A few minutes later, Molly was sound asleep and Victoria was filled with such a sense of calm and well-being, definitely not things her daughter usually made her feel. The feelings seemed to be emanating from Molly as well.

When Kai and Finn returned several minutes later, wet, pink-cheeked, shivering, and grinning widely, Victoria told him, "I think you'll have to be the one to give Finny his bath. I'm a bit occupied here."

"Hi, Molly," Kai said, reaching out and touching his sleeping daughter's cheek. Molly turned her head slightly and opened one eye, but instead of reaching for her father as Victoria thought she would, she just looked at him briefly, snuggled against Victoria, and fell asleep again.

"Well, all right then," Kai said, picking Finn up. "Let's go get you dry, Finny." Unlike his sister, Finn didn't seem to mind being wet and cold and just smiled at his mother over Kai's shoulder as his father carried him away to the bathroom and Victoria stayed in the living room with the peacefully napping Molly.

* * *

As Davina, Percy, Helene, and Malachai sat at the kitchen table drinking cocoa and watching the snow fall, Helene asked Davina, "Do you think if I offered Ian and Samantha cocoa, they would take it? I mean, I know they just want to be left alone and I suppose I can respect that, but I just feel so _bad_ ignoring them too."

"I'll go ask them," Davina offered. "They'll listen to me."

"All right," Helene smiled at her. "Thank you."

Davina went to Samantha's door and knocked on it. "Would you like cocoa?" She called. "Or do you just want to be left alone? And would Ian like some too?"

There was a silence and Davina began to wonder if they'd heard her when the door opened a crack and Samantha said, "I suppose we could have some cocoa."

"Good," Davina smiled. "You won't get it unless you leave your room, though. I'm not bringing it to you."

Samantha growled and soon, she and Ian had emerged from their room. "I hate you," Samantha remarked.

"Why would you hate someone who's offering you cocoa?" Davina asked. "Come on, follow me."

They headed to the kitchen and at the sight of them, both Malachai and Helene rose to their feet, welcoming smiles on their faces.

"Thank you for joining us," Malachai got out. "It's nice to see you two."

"Well, Davina told us we couldn't have cocoa if we didn't come, so here we are," Ian told her.

"You could have zapped up some cocoa," Helene pointed out. "So that makes it mean even more that you came all the way out here to be with us."

"Damn, we could have zapped some up," Samantha muttered, her dark eyes flashing. But she and Ian sat down anyway and when Helene set some cocoa down in front of them, Ian asked her, "Did you make this the human way?"

"Yes, I did," Helene nodded. "It's good to not always rely on magic for everything."

"Well, you were clearly someone who was made to feel like a monster for having powers," Ian said.

"That's true, I wasn't," Helene agreed. "I'm very sorry you were, though."

"Would you like to spend some time working with your powers after you finish your cocoa?" Malachai offered.

"No, thank you," Samantha said, frowning and gagging after taking a sip of cocoa and pushing the cup away. "In fact, I think I'll go back to my room now."

"I'll come with you," Ian told her.

They left and Percy said to a dismayed Helene, "I don't know what their problem is. _I_ liked the cocoa very much."

"Me too," Davina added.

"Thank you," Helene said to both of them as she began to tear up. "It's so frustrating when you try so hard and no one gives a damn!" She began to sob in earnest and ran off in the direction of her and Malachai's room.

"Excuse me," Malachai told the other two and ran after her. He found her crying in bed and came to take her in his arms, kissing her hair gently. "I know it's frustrating and it feels like we're getting nowhere, but you're showing these kids probably the first real affection they've gotten in their whole lives. Maybe they just don't know how to deal with it. Maybe they think that if they accept it, it'll go away and they'll be disappointed again. But that's not your fault. You're a _good_ person."

"Thank you," Helene sniffled and gave him a kiss. "I really do try, you know."

"I know you do," He smiled and lowered onto the mattress, touching his nose against hers. "That's one of the reasons I love you so much."

"Is it?" Helene smiled.

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "It is."


	40. The Burden Of A Secret

Victoria wasn't surprised when only Davina showed up for breakfast once again after they got back from visiting Malachai and Helene.

"I'm sure they'll come sometime," Davina said, referring to Ian and Samantha. "And if they don't, they're missing out."

"Thank you," Victoria told her. "But I've learned that I just need to let it go. If I let them do what they want, I'm not ignoring them in any way."

"That's true," Kai agreed and speared a sausage link, popping it into his mouth. "You've done nothing wrong.

"Do you think we should worry about what Ian and Samantha are doing in their room?" Victoria asked Davina. "What if they're not in there at all? What if they've run away?"

"Then we should pity humanity," Davina replied and looked at her glass of orange juice for a long moment before gulping it down. She hadn't mentioned anything about what she'd done to the man at the grocery store in order to get the zucchini she'd used for the bread, and she wanted to keep it that way. She was afraid that if they knew how ruthless she could be with her magic, they'd throw her out, and she couldn't let that happen. Not when she was finally at one of the first places that felt like home in her whole life.

Thinking about what she'd done made her nervous, so she quickly ate and gulped down her orange juice, which made her erupt into a coughing fit.

"Are you okay?" Kai asked as he came and whacked her on the back. "What's the rush?"

"Sorry," Davina apologized when she could speak again. "I just remembered that I have a thing to do that I might be late for so I have to get moving."

"What sort of a thing?" Kai asked curiously. "Is there anything we can do to help you?"

"No, thank you," Davina said and stood up so fast that she knocked her chair over and then used her powers to set it up again. "All right, I have to go. Thanks for breakfast." She ran off and Kai and Victoria just looked at one another in stunned silence before going back to feeding the twins.

"What do you think that was all about?" Kai asked at last. "Do you think we should be worried?"

"I don't think so," Victoria replied. "Not yet, anyway. She's probably just having adjustment issues. We should be glad she stuck around as long as she did."

"Very true," Kai agreed and went to refill his orange juice glass. "She didn't stay very long, but it's a start. We need to appreciate that."

* * *

Meanwhile, Davina was racing toward Ian and Samantha's rooms, knocking first on Samantha's door, and when she got no response, on Ian's.

"What?" Ian asked. "We told you that we'll come out when we're ready and not before. Don't push us!"

"It's not them, it's me!" Davina called back. "Can I come in? We need to talk!"

There was a silence and then a scrambling noise, and soon Ian opened the door, grinning widely. "Have you done something wicked already? I would have thought you'd wait a bit."

"Well, I really tried, but some guy tried to take the last zucchini at the grocery store last night and you know how much I wanted to make that recipe to thank Victoria for taking us in? I got desperate and I kind of…used my magic to shock him and left him twitching on the grocery store floor while I took all the zucchini and ran for it."

She looked down in shame, but Ian just laughed. "I knew something like this would happen," he said, actually reaching out to give her a hug. "I just didn't expect it to be so soon. I thought you'd play at being the good girl for a little while longer so we would look bad in comparison."

"That's not what I'm trying to do," Davina protested. "I just think it's good to try and adjust to our new circumstances. Now, you won't tell them about what I did, right? Please say you won't." She paused and scoffed. "What am I worried about? In order to tattle on me, you'd have to leave this room, and you don't unless no one is around. Well, suddenly I feel better."

And she did. With a spring in her step, she left the room and shut the door behind her.

When they were sure she was gone, Ian smiled and said to his sister, "What do you think we should do with this information?"

"I don't know," Samantha smiled. "In a way, our saying something to Kai and Victoria would be a blessing. You know how guilt about stuff like this eats Davina alive. What sort of friends would we be if we let her suffer like that?"

"Let's wait," Ian said. "Cause if they _do_ throw her out when they find out what she did? Wouldn't you feel guilty? She's in the same position we are."

"That's true," Samantha admitted. "I mean, they wouldn't send her back to the asylum, I don't think, but where they would put her instead, we don't know. We'll see if she's suffering holding it all in, and if she is, then we'll tell."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Ian said, feeling a bit of relief cause there was a part of him that had a soft spot for their third partner in crime. "But I hope now that she's told us, it provides some relief for her."

* * *

"Is there any reason in particular that you don't really socialize with Adrian's mom?" Kai asked Victoria. "Because I really think we should start."

"Well, Grandpa Kol never knew her really, so we didn't socialize with her because of that, but also because Grandpa Mikael _did_ know her and probably would have never talked to us again if we went to her house." She paused. "Come to think of it, the last time I think I saw her was when her daughter Amanda got married." She looked at Kai. "You remember that wedding. You got bored and beheaded the officiator?"

"How could I forget that?" Kai smiled. "You wore that incredibly sexy red dress that gave me the marvelous view of your legs. And as for killing the officiator, at least I waited until the wedding was official. I know I met Selina then, but we didn't really talk, so I'm glad we had the chance to meet again."

"Are you saying that you want us to start socializing with Adrian's mother?" Victoria asked. "Is that what you're telling me?"

"I would appreciate it, yes," Kai nodded. "But if it would make your grandfather uncomfortable, you don't have to come if you don't want to."

"Sure I'll come," Victoria nodded. "I always thought that Grandpa Mikael's reasons for avoiding her were stupid, anyway. Really, she's no worse than he is." She paused. "But like I said, we've not even spoken much. Would it be weird for me to just suddenly say I want to come and meet her?"

"I can fix that," Kai assured her and gave her a kiss. "Next time I talk to Adrian, I promise."

* * *

"You think Molly would like to go out in the snow?" Adrian asked Kai the next time Kai came over with her. "It's supposed to melt soon so I think we should make the most of it."

"We already tried that," Kai said. "And she didn't seem to like it all that much. I don't think she enjoys the cold."

"Ah," Adrian nodded, observing Molly, who was bundled up in layers of shirts and sweaters along with some tiny denims. "I can see that."

"She might go out with you though," Kai said and set Molly down on the sofa. "She'll go with you anywhere."

"I have another idea," Adrian replied. "Come with me."

So Kai took Molly in his arms and followed Adrian to one of the little used bedrooms in the house which had several pillows on the bed that were filled with goose feathers. Adrian ripped one up and then slowly dropped the feathers on Molly's head after sitting her down on the mattress. "See?" He said as the little girl chuckled and clapped while the feathers swirled around her, thanks to her father's help. "Just like snow, but without the cold." Then, he gasped as she brought a feather toward her mouth. "No," he said firmly and took it away. "Don't eat that."

Molly wasn't used to being denied anything by him, so her face screwed up and she began to cry and kick her little red-stockinged feet while the attic windows rattled and the lights began flashing on and off.

Kai and Adrian just gave each other long looks and sighed. "You wanna handle this?" Adrian asked. "Or should I?"

"I'm her father, I'll do it," Kai replied and picked her up. "You stop that," he told her firmly. "Adrian wasn't being mean. He was only trying to make sure you didn't choke or make a yucky face because feathers are bad things to eat. There's nothing bad about that."

Now Molly stopped crying and looked at him in shock. First Adrian had scolded her, now her father was. What in the world was going on?

Seeing that she'd calmed down, Kai wiped the tears from her eyes and put her back down on the mattress. "Now," he said, "Are you going to have fun with us, or are you going to keep throwing a fit? Cause if you're going to have tantrums, I'm gonna take you home to your mother and Adrian and I will just have fun here by ourselves. Not that I think your mother is boring, but I know you'd much rather be here, right?"

Molly gave a little smile and Adrian threw more feathers on her body as she lay in the pile, rolling around in it and getting them in her hair.

"Well, it's a relief that's all over," Adrian told Kai.

"I know, right?" Kai nodded. "I have a question I promised Victoria I would ask you."

"What?" Adrian asked.

"Well, Victoria and I want to start socializing with your mother," Kai said. "Would she think that was weird since according to Victoria, her branch of the family and your mom have never really talked all that much?"

"No," Adrian shook his head. "In fact, she'd probably enjoy it immensely, because Victoria's related to Mikael, which means Victoria associating with her would make Mikael upset, and making Mikael upset by being in the good graces of all his family members is a great joy in her life."

"Really?" Kai smiled. "Good."

"You wanna call and set up a date right now?" Adrian asked. "We could do it together if you want someone who knows her to talk with her the first time."

"Sure," Kai said. "Sounds good."

So Adrian ran downstairs to get the phone while Kai watched Molly have more fun with the feathers (and laugh when she whacked him in the face with one of the tinier pillows), and then when Adrian came back, they called Selina and made plans for Kai and Victoria to have dinner with her the following Saturday night.


	41. A Rare Night Out

"Help me!" Kai cried as he came running into the living room where Victoria was watching TV.

"All right," she said and followed him. "What do you need help with?" They reached Molly's room and found the giggling baby sitting on the floor in front of her crib.

"I thought you said you were putting her in time out for throwing a fit at Adrian's," Victoria said. "Did you change your mind? Do you need me to make it stick?"

"No," Kai said and picked Molly up. "Watch." He put her in the crib and not two seconds later, she popped out again. And again. And again. "I think she believes this is some sort of game," he told Victoria, who was trying not to laugh herself. "What's so funny?"

"Well, I just think it's ironic that one of the council's most famous jailbreakers is now frustrated by his daughter doing the same sort of thing," Victoria grinned widely. "Don't you?"

"I guess I can agree that it's ironic," Kai conceded. "But unlike you two, I will _never_ find it funny."

The three of them all stared at one another and then Victoria said, "If putting her in her bed doesn't work, we could put her somewhere else."

"Where?" Kai asked in frustration. "No matter where we put her, she'll just leave it."

"Not if she doesn't feel like it's a game," Victoria said with confidence. She picked Molly up off the floor and looked her in the eye. "All right, young lady, listen up. Your daddy says you had a tantrum at Adrian's, so you have to spend some time in your room. It won't be very long. Probably just ten minutes or so. It's not a game, it's not a joke. When I put you back in your crib, you'll just stay there. Do you understand me?"

Her tone made Molly stop laughing immediately, and when Victoria put her back in her crib, she stayed there, even though she looked very sad as she gripped the crib bars with her little hands.

After nodding with satisfaction, Victoria zapped up a timer, set it for ten minutes, and told her daughter, "When you hear the dinging noise, I'll come and let you out, but not before that. And just to be sure you don't try and be sneaky…" With a wave of her hand, she put a spell around the crib so Molly couldn't leave it.

"Would you teach me that?" Kai asked in amazement. "Cause that will be useful."

"Sure," Victoria nodded. "No problem. And we have that dinner with Adrian's Mom tonight, don't we? We have to figure out what we're gonna wear and stuff for that."

"We probably don't have to try too hard to impress her," Kai said. "Adrian would have mentioned that if we did."

"His mom won't care, but Uncle Elijah might," Victoria reminded her husband. "And to a lot of people, you're already on the sketchy list. It wouldn't hurt to put in a little extra effort. Besides, you look good in an all-black tux. Very sexy. Do it for me." She kissed him. "Please?"

"Oh, all right," he said. They went into their room and Victoria pulled out all the pieces of the tux Kai had worn to Amanda and Viktor's wedding, then watched Kai very intently as he changed out of his more casual clothes. "Enjoying the view?" He asked as he stood in front of her in his black silk boxers. "If you keep looking at me like that, I won't want to put the suit on at all." He came over and pulled her to him. "I might be too distracted."

They gazed into each other's eyes and kissed deeply, then pulled apart and Victoria ran her hands over his body and he sucked in his breath. They kissed again and were all the way to the bed when the timer went off and they broke apart.

"Looks like I have to go release the prisoner," Victoria sighed. "You put on your tux and I'll have a look when I get back."

"You have a question about whether or not it'll look good?" Kai asked, his eyebrow raised.

"No," Victoria shook her head. "It'll look fine. But I can't see it when I'm in Molly's bedroom, can I?" She then went to take Molly out of her crib while Kai changed into his tux and posed seductively beside the bed as he waited for Victoria to come back.

* * *

"Thank you so much for agreeing to bring Sarah over here to play with the twins," Victoria told Helene later in the day. "I know that you getting her was a surprise because Matthew and Christine had to deal with that emergency regarding her mother, and I just…I'm happy that you're willing to take the time that could have been just yours to share her."

"Oh, it's fine," Helene said. "It's good for Sarah to be with other kids. I don't think she really has that with Matthew and Christine. I mean, she will eventually after Selina has her own kids, but not now. Oh, and Malachai will be in soon. He dropped his keys in some deep dark part of the car and is trying to get them the non-magic way.

"Well, good luck to him," Victoria chuckled. She then watched her son's expression as Sarah joined him and his sister. It was as if he were struggling to deal with how to handle both girls being near him at the same time, because although he seemed to enjoy Sarah very much, she didn't get along well with Molly, and by nature, Finn was surprisingly protective of his wild sister.

"Look at poor Finn," Helene remarked. "He looks so overwhelmed. What should we do?"

They were about to reach out to help him when, to their surprise, he crawled away from Sarah (who was pushing toys at him), and went to play with Molly instead. Much to Victoria's relief, the dynamic between the twins had changed so now they were no longer outright hostile to one another, although there was still a definite air of competition between the two of them.

Helene and Victoria grabbed hands and waited to see what Sarah would do next with bated breaths, and to their surprise, instead of getting upset, Sarah just adjusted and pushed a toy toward Molly. And although Molly didn't show friendliness when she took it, she didn't try and pick a fight, which was evidently enough to put Finn at ease.

A few minutes later, Malachai came in, keys in hand. "I got them," he said.

"Good," Helene smiled and came over to hug him. "I thought I was going to have to go to the car and rescue you if you stayed out any longer."

"I finally just gave up trying to get them manually and used my magic," Malachai confessed.

"There's no shame in that," Helene said and gave him a kiss. "At least you tried the other way first."

It was then that Kai came up from the basement with an empty bowl in hand. "Hi, Uncle Malachai!" He greeted his uncle. "Long time no see! How are you?"

"Not bad," Malachai replied. "What are you doing?"

"I'm watching TV in the basement with Percy and Davina," he said. "And we ran out of popcorn so I came up to make more. I asked Ian and Samantha if they wanted to come too, but of course they said 'No'."

"I'm really worried about those two," Victoria remarked. "We hardly ever see them."

"I wouldn't make too big a deal of it," Malachai shrugged. "They'll show up sometime."

Then, to everyone's surprise, they did.

"See?" Malachai remarked. "I _told_ you."

"Hi, you two," Victoria told them as they approached the group. "What can we do for you?"

"Nothing in particular, thanks," Samantha told her. "We just wanted a change of scenery."

Molly's eyes followed Samantha and to Victoria's surprise, Samantha leaned down to pat Molly on the head. "Hi, there," she said and sat down. Ian took a seat beside her, turned on the TV, and they made no further remarks about why Samantha had gotten on Molly's good side.

Victoria was really anxious to know, but she kept quiet.

"Okay," Kai said. "I have popcorn to make. I'll just go do that now."

After a few seconds, Molly abandoned Finn and Sarah and crawled over to tug on Samantha's pant leg. She was then obligingly pulled into Samantha's lap, which let Finn be pals with Sarah without feeling a lick of guilt about it.

For the rest of play time, the adults were confused, but hid it by busying themselves with Finn and Sarah until it was time for Sarah to go home and for Kai and Victoria to get ready for their dinner with Selina.

* * *

"You're going to have dinner with Lonely Heart?" Kol asked Victoria when she and Kai dropped the twins off before heading off to Selina and Elijah's. "You be careful. She's not easy on men. She'll go after that Kai and when you try to fight her, she might hurt you."

"Oh, I'm sure she has to be over that by now," Victoria assured him. "That was _years_ ago, wasn't it? And if she's so bad, why is Uncle Elijah interested in her?"

"Cause for all my brother's good qualities, he has a definite weakness for women he feels he can rescue," Kol told her. "And she could be one of them." He then handed Finn a squishy blue foam ball and encouraged him to throw it.

"Do you think he can really do that yet?" Victoria asked. "And don't you try and hit it with your bat!"

"I wouldn't do that," Kol promised. "At least not yet, anyway."

"Well, I would hope not," Victoria told him. "I don't know when Kai and I are gonna be back, but I wouldn't expect us before ten, probably."

"All right," Kol replied. "See you later."

"Bye," Victoria told him as she headed back to the car where Kai was waiting.

"Was he in a bad mood?" Kai asked as she approached and he held the door open for her. "Was it good that I stayed outside?"

Victoria shrugged and took the wheel. "You probably could have come in if you wanted. He seemed okay. Do you have the directions Adrian gave you to Selina and Uncle Elijah's house?"

"Yes," Kai nodded and pulled the crumpled paper with them on it out of his pants pocket. "Here it is."

"Good," Victoria took it in her hand and then started the car. "Let's go."

* * *

"Well, don't you two look nice?" Selina remarked when she opened the door in response to their knock. "But you didn't have to dress up so much!"

"I know we didn't have to, but we wanted to," Victoria smiled. "We thought Uncle Elijah would appreciate it."

"Yeah, he will," Selina agreed as she ushered them inside. "It was probably a good call. Can I take your coats?"

"Sure," Victoria nodded. "Thank you."

"You look very nice," Kai added, trying not to stare too much at her belly, which was covered by a deep blue dress. It was almost as big as Victoria's had been. "Are you having twins?"

"Yes!" Selina smiled. "We are! A boy and a girl."

"How wonderful!" Victoria smiled. They then headed to the living room where Selina asked if they wanted drinks.

"We can get them," Kai told her. "You sit down."

"Are you sure?" Selina asked. "You're guests."

"Yes, but you're pregnant and what sort of gentleman would I be if I kept you on your feet too long?" Kai smiled. He sauntered off before Selina could protest anymore and she smiled at Victoria. "What a nice boy."

"I have a feeling that there was some self-interest involved in that kindness," Victoria smiled. "He knows you bake things and probably wants to scope out the kitchen before dinner."

Selina smiled. "That's all right with me. Everyone does that."

When Kai returned with drinks for himself and Victoria (and then asked if Selina wanted some juice or something) Victoria noticed he had some white frosting on his lower lip.

"Did you get into the cupcakes?" Victoria asked dryly. "I hope you didn't eat too many."

"I just had one," Kai confessed and sat down next to her before licking his lip. "I couldn't help myself."

"That's fine," Selina smiled. "I don't mind."

"Where's Uncle Elijah tonight?" Victoria asked. "He's gonna be here, isn't he?"

"Oh, yes," Selina nodded. "Since I'm no longer able to even get out of a chair by myself without help, he's sticking pretty close to home. He just went out to get some wine. I'm sure he'll be back any minute."

And she was proven correct when the door opened and Elijah called out, "I see an unusual car parked in our driveway. Have Victoria and Kai arrived? Did you hide the silver?"

"I don't think the silver is in danger," Selina called back. "Just the baked goods."

Elijah then came in and did a double take when he saw Kai. He obviously hadn't expected him to be dressed up so nice. "That suit looks good on you," he remarked. "Thank you for making the effort to be presentable."

"You're welcome," Kai replied as he stood up.

Elijah helped Selina to her feet and said, "Should we have dinner, or do you want more time to chat?"

"No, I'd like to eat now, please," Kai said. He grabbed Victoria's hand and then began pulling her in the direction of the dining room. "I smell food."

"Adrian was right," Selina remarked as she and Elijah followed behind at a much slower pace. "He _is_ an eater."

"I can deal with that since he decided to dress up," Elijah told her. "If he'd shown up in jeans and a t-shirt, I don't know _what_ I would have done."

"You would have been civil," Selina told him. "Even if it had been difficult."

The caterers they'd hired to bring dinner brought in the appetizers as Selina made a toast and Kai kept leaning over to try and get a better view of the cupcake tree that was clearly visible from where he was sitting. At one point, he leaned so far over that he fell out of his chair.

"Are you okay?" Victoria asked. "Did you hit your head?"

"Yeah," Kai winced as he got up from the floor. "But I'll live." He sat down again and slowly unwrapped the prosciutto from the melon slices, eating it in a single gulp before looking at Elijah and saying, "You know, your brother doesn't really like me."

"It takes Kol a long time to warm up to anyone, especially if they're the intended of one of his female relatives," Elijah explained. "I wouldn't let it bother you too much."

"Oh, I don't," Kai assured him. "Don't worry." That line of conversation ended, they lapsed into silence as they tried to come up with another topic of discussion.

Finally, they left it up to Selina and Victoria, who deftly chatted about little things and big things through the roast and the salad, and then when Kai was finally allowed to go to town on the cupcakes, that became a form of entertainment in itself and no one said a word.

"That was not a bad time," Kai told Victoria afterward as they left the house with a few cupcakes in hand. "And it was so nice of your uncle to invite us over again."

"I knew your wearing a suit would lead to good things," Victoria smiled. "Didn't I say that?"

"Yes," Kai nodded as he sat in the back with the cupcakes balanced on his lap. "It was a good call." He took out a cupcake and bit down, shutting his eyes and savoring the taste. "A _very_ good call."


	42. Growing Up A Little

"A boy?" Malachai said to the technician after he and Helene were told what sort of baby they were going to have. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, it's true," Helene said, leaning forward the best she could to get a closer look. "I see boy parts."

Malachai looked and said, "Yep, there they are. This is just kind of a surprise."

"You know, a lot of fathers I deal with say that," the technician told him. "You're not the first. Just be prepared for him to have quite the list of lady friends when he begins to date."

"Oh, don't talk about that," Malachai shook his head and sat down. "He's not even born yet. We'll cross the dating bridge when we come to it." He looked at Helene. "You're not upset, are you?"

"No," Helene shook her head. "I've had daughters. And I have a son. One more boy is not a bad thing."

"Good," Malachai nodded, still looking at the screen with the ultrasound on it and feeling dumbfounded. "Good."

After the appointment, they went back to their car and sat in the back for a while before leaving. "So what happens now?" Helene asked.

"Well, I don't know," Malachai replied. "Are you going to tell your parents that we're having a boy?"

"I probably should, but this whole situation is so awkward that I don't know if I can," Helene replied and scooched closer to him so she could lay her head on his shoulder and he could put an arm around her. "You can do it," he told her and kissed her hair. "You're very brave."

"I don't feel like it," Helene replied. "When I tell them, will you be there with me?"

"Yes," Malachai told her immediately. "I will. Even if it means that your father will find some way to reach through the mirror and kill me, I'll be there with you."

Helene gave him a small smile. "I don't think it will be that bad," she said. "But I think it's good to be prepared for the worst anyway."

* * *

"You're going to have a grandson," Helene announced to her parents as they chatted from her bathroom mirror and Malachai clutched her hand tightly. "Please tell me you'll be back before I deliver. Please!"

"Oh, I hope so," Astrid told her. "I mean, that's the goal, but Klaus wants to find this mummy and he's got this rival of his who wants it too. If it was just a matter of leaving, we'd do it now, but there's more to it than that." she paused. "If you'd like to be married before you deliver, go ahead and do it. You can always renew your vows later and we'll see it then."

"Astrid, don't tell her that!" Alistair said, looking shocked. "What sort of a man would marry her without talking to her parents first?"

"Well, I think we're not really in a position where that'll be easy to do anymore!" Astrid replied. "You know that if you don't let Helene marry, you'll feel bad about making your grandson be technically illegitimate, and I don't think you'll be able to deal with that."

"Oh, all right," Alistair nodded. "She can get married, but as soon as we get back, they're getting married again after I've given my permission!"

"Calm down, Daddy," Helene told her father. "We're gonna wait to marry until you get back and Malachai can ask you for my hand officially. We talked about it and decided that that's the best course of action."

"Are you sure, sweetie?" Astrid wanted to know. "Don't do something that's uncomfortable for you just because you know it will put your father in a better frame of mind."

"We're not," Helene assured her quickly. "We promise."

And then, to Malachai's surprise cause he had been pretty sure that they were just pretending he wasn't there, Alistair gave him a look. "And what do _you_ have to say for yourself?" He asked.

"Well," Malachai took a long breath. He knew he was very much an adult and had no reason to act like a frightened, horny teenage boy around his future father-in-law, so he wouldn't. "I have to say that I love your daughter very much, I'm not sorry that we're expecting, I have every intention of marrying your daughter, and I would appreciate it if you didn't make me feel bad for loving her just because things between us didn't turn out exactly the way you wanted them to, and I'm not the sort of man you think your daughter should marry."

"Well, good for you!" Astrid said in amazement as Alistair turned to face her, his jaw dropping a little. "What?" She asked. "You have to respect the man for being willing to stand up to you just to make Helene happy. Shouldn't that be what we want for her?"

"Yes, I suppose," Alistair nodded. "But you can't blame me for being nervous. She didn't exactly make the right choice the first time."

"She and Adrian made mistakes and then they learned from them and are now in better places," Astrid said patiently. "You need to learn to let that go."

"All right," Alistair nodded. "You're right." He looked at his daughter and Malachai and said, "Good luck you two. I'm glad that you're getting a chance to have the life that you want and I can't wait to be a part of that, however long it takes for me to get back. Until then, take care of yourselves, all right?"

"Thank you," Helene smiled. "We will, we promise. Is there anything else you need to say, or…?"

"Actually, we should probably go check on everyone now," Alistair told her. "Amy and Klaus both have their memories back pretty much, so she's keeping an eye on him, but you never know."

"Right," Helene nodded. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Alistair said while Astrid gave a last wave. They then disappeared and Helene threw herself into Malachai's arms. "That was so good of you to stand up to my father like you did. Thank you."

"Of course," Malachai nodded and held onto her as tight as he could. "I meant every word of it, you know."

"I do," Helene smiled and kissed him. "That's the best part about it."

* * *

Three months later, Helene was very near her due date. There was still no sign of her parents, but luckily, she had found other ways to manage her time so that she didn't worry, including conspiring with Kai to help Adrian find a girlfriend, which they did on days where Victoria agreed to get Molly out of the way by taking her to meet the other babies in playgroup. She and Mary had discovered that if they put Molly and Junior together without Finn or Sarah present, they actually bonded reasonably well.

It was a day in early march when Victoria brought Molly to the park. Mary and Junior had arrived before them and were waiting on a bench.

"Sorry we're late," Victoria apologized as she sat down for a few seconds, wuped some dust off Molly's jeans, and put her down on a blanket that Mary had set out, along with some toys. "Jennifer was running late for her and Adrian's lunch date, so I had to wait until they were gone before I brought Molly out of the house."

"Jennifer and Adrian have been going out for a couple months now, haven't they?" Mary asked as she set Junior down too. "Don't you think it's about time you introduced Molly and Jennifer so that you wouldn't have to run away in terror every time she came near Adrian?"

"Yes," Victoria sighed. "But it's a very delicate situation. You know how devoted Molly is to Adrian and how upset she gets when she thinks someone else is taking his attention away from her."

"Well, that's when she was really tiny," Mary said. "Maybe she's grown up a bit since then." They turned to look at Junior and Molly who were playing nicely on the blanket, sharing toys and laughing with each other. Victoria reached into her purse, took out a tiny bag of cookies, and then set them down beside Molly. "Would you like to share some cookies with Junior?" She asked her daughter after handing one to Molly and leaving the open bag beside her. She then sat back to see how Molly would react: if she would eat the cookie herself (which was very likely since they were chocolate chip) or share it. She looked at the cookie, brought it up to her mouth, and then stopped, holding it out to Junior instead. "Tookie?" She asked.

Junior took it, crammed it in his mouth so that crumbs fell onto his white and blue stripped overalls and little navy blue tennis shoes, and muttered, "Thank you."

Molly smiled at this acknowledgement and reached into the bag to get another cookie for herself.

"This is promising," Victoria said. "Maybe I'll try and introduce Molly and Jennifer after all. Molly's like her dad: She doesn't share food unless she _really_ likes you."

"I really think it would be best to just rip that band-aid off," Mary agreed. "Then you won't have to keep worrying about it."

"That's a good point," Victoria nodded. "And actually, Kai's been urging me to do the same thing for a while. He thinks I'm being as silly as you do."

"I don't think you're being silly," Mary told her. "I think you're being cautious. A bit overly so, but given the past experiences you've had with Molly's behavior toward other people, it's not unreasonable."

"I'll do it!" Victoria said with determination. Then she turned to face Mary. "But enough about me. Let's talk about you. How are Sean and Eva?"

"Not bad," Mary replied. "Liam and I are actually gonna go out to dinner with them tonight. And sometime he has to go see his mom."

"How has he been handling it since she got pregnant?" Victoria asked. "Not well, I take it."

Mary sighed. "I know his parents parted on good terms and that everything is much peachier with them being in other relationships, but Liam just…we should do something to help him adjust to Malachai, don't you think?"

"Sure," Victoria nodded. "What do you think we should do?"

"I'll think about it and get back to you," Mary replied. And then they both turned their attention back to their children. The cookies had run out and Victoria began to get nervous that that would lead to a fit, but to her surprise, Junior just said "Cookie!" and moved his hand and a whole plate of them appeared. But then Mary went over and made all but two disappear, which made Junior sad. "Just one more," she said firmly. "You don't want to be too full for dinner." She then gave her blond son a quick hug and kiss before sitting back on the bench.

But, ever the loyal friend and sneaky conspirator, Molly again showed her devotion to Junior by letting him have _both_ cookies instead of just one, something Mary and Victoria again watched in surprise.

"I really hope Junior will be able to eat his dinner," Victoria told Mary after.

"Oh, I'm sure he will," Mary assured her as she pushed back some of her red hair that had been blown into her eyes. "I'm just trying to teach him about limits. The kid's got a bottomless pit for a stomach, really."

"Good," Victoria smiled. "I feel better now."

* * *

When Victoria got back home with Molly, Kai asked, "So how did it go?"

"I think Molly has a fondness for Junior," Victoria smiled. "She shared several cookies with him."

"Chocolate chip ones?" Kai asked in amazement. "You wouldn't happen to have any more of those in your purse, would you?"

"Have you already eaten all the other ones we had around here?" Victoria asked.

"Yes," Kai nodded. "I just got back from hunting and you know how hungry I get after hunting."

"Yeah," Victoria nodded, now noticing a bit of dried blood on the side of his mouth. "I always thought that was kind of odd. So…Adrian and Jennifer not back yet?"

"Not yet," Kai said. But then he heard Adrian's car drive up. "You wanna go hide Molly, or should I?"

"We don't need to hide her," Victoria said calmly. "Like you're always telling me, it's about time we introduced Jennifer and Molly."

"Well, good for you," Kai smiled. "That's very sensible."

The door opened and Molly got her first glimpse of Adrian coming into the house over Victoria's shoulder. A smile broke out on her face and she began screaming happily as she zipped out of Victoria's arms and raced over to attach herself to Adrian's leg while hissing at Jennifer.

"Mine!" She said. "Mine, mine, mine!"

Jennifer was wearing jeans, a hot pink shirt, and a white jacket. Her eyes were deep green and her black hair was cut so that it was short, but still long enough to tuck neatly behind her ears.

"Who's this?" She asked, getting down on her knees and smiling at Molly, who was very suspicious of her.

"It's the competition," Adrian said. "She might seem dangerous, but she's easily bribed by offers of food. I'd give her what's in that bag in your purse before you try and touch her."

"Is _that_ why you told me to save it?" She asked. Jennifer was a werewolf friend of Roxie's (who had also been let in on Kai and Helene's plan to find Adrian a girlfriend), and she and Adrian were getting on very well. It was probably the best romantic relationship that Adrian had ever had.

"Exactly," Adrian nodded.

So Jennifer reached into her purse and grabbed some pieces of bread that had been rolled up in napkins, unwrapped one, and slowly handed it to Molly as if she were feeding a wild animal.

"You're really good at that," Adrian smiled. "I expected you to be more intimidated."

"I have four brothers," Jennifer said. "I know how to handle people with bad tempers."

Much to Adrian's relief, Molly relaxed once she began eating and he was able to take her off his leg and hold her normally. "This is Jennifer," he told her. "Wasn't that nice of her to give you that bread?"

"Thank you," Molly said, even though her mouth was full.

"Well, that's a surprise," Adrian smiled. "Lucky for us we introduced you two on a good day."

"That or her brother is beginning to rub off on her," Kai said. "Who knows which one?"

"Yeah," Adrian nodded as he and Jennifer sat down on the sofa. Molly didn't act negatively toward Jennifer anymore, although she still made it clear that she wasn't gonna be made to leave.

"This is nice," Victoria said as she went to get Finn and then they sat next to Kai on the sofa. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah," Kai nodded and kissed Victoria on the cheek. "Quietest this house has been in a long time and I like it."


	43. Going On The Hunt

"Hey, there," Kai said as Victoria came back to bed just as he woke up and saw her bathed in early morning light. "You're dressed."

"I would hardly call wearing panties and one of your t-shirts being dressed," Victoria told him as he took her in his arms and gave her a kiss.

"Well you're covered up more than when you and I fell asleep last night, that's for sure," Kai told her.

"I got a little chilly," Victoria explained. "And I thought I should do something about it."

Kai smiled. "Well, I could have warmed you up very easily, you know that, right?" He then pushed her back on the mattress and pulled her shirt up, blowing a raspberry on her stomach, which made her laugh.

"Oh, my god!" She cried. "That tickles!" She began giggling and squirming, but then a knock on the door gave them pause.

"Now who do you think that is?" Kai asked, zapping himself into a white t-shirt and pair of black boxer shorts.

"My bet is that it's our little alarm clock," Victoria said, pushing her long dark hair out of her eyes and yawning. "You know that he's always the one who comes because Miss Molly likes to be retrieved."

The guess was soon confirmed by a powerful voice from the other side of the door shouting "Mama! Daddy! Let me in!"

Kai got out of bed and went to open the door, revealing his tiny son on the other side, still in his blue dinosaur pajamas. Finn ran past him and tried to pull himself into Kai and Victoria's bed.

"Here you go," Kai told him and gave him a boost. Finn then snuggled in between his parents and fell asleep again.

"I just don't know why he does this," Kai whispered. "Why come all the way here to fall asleep again when he can do it in his own bed?"

"Maybe he likes the company," Victoria shrugged. "I don't really mind it. Do you? Should we try and fix this behavior?"

"No, I don't think we should. I meant that I was confused about why he does it, not that I don't like it."

"Ah," Victoria nodded. "All right."

* * *

A couple hours later, Molly woke up and then they all went into the kitchen for breakfast. As Kai watched Victoria cut her wrist so she could mix in blood with the formula in the kids' bottles, he said, "Are we still sticking with the plan?"

"Which plan?" Victoria asked and watched herself heal before screwing the lids of the bottles on.

"The one where we decided that once the twins turned one we'd start thinking about teaching them to hunt?" Kai supplied.

"Oh, _that_ plan!" Victoria nodded. "Sure, if that's what we decided, I don't see why it needs to be changed."

"So I assume you don't want them to start with hunting people," Kai said as they sat down and he helped Molly with her bottle while Victoria helped Finn.

"No, of course not," Victoria shook her head. "They're just little kids after all. We'll start with small animals first. That's how my parents did it with me."

"And it's good too, because I think we've got a bit of a rabbit problem," Kai added.

* * *

"Would you mind if I asked my parents to come with us when we take the twins out?" Victoria asked Kai. "Not that I don't trust you or me, but when you have two little kids on a blood high racing around, it's always good to have some extra hands, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "I have no problem with that."

"So you've finally decided to start the twins hunting," Declan said to Victoria with a smile as they sat talking at the kitchen table. "I wondered when you were going to start that or if you were just going to have them be all about sparing human lives."

"Oh, of course not!" Victoria scoffed. "Not with how I was raised. No, we'd always planned to do it. It was just a matter of figuring out when. And that time has come. So we wondered if you and Mom would come and help us out, since you have to have lots of eyes with small children."

"Of course," Declan nodded. "I'd be glad to. And I'm sure your mother would too." He turned as Regina came into the kitchen. "Wouldn't you?"

"Wouldn't I what?" Regina asked. "I totally missed the conversation." She sat down next to Victoria and gave her a hug and a kiss. "What are we talking about?"

"Victoria and Kai have decided to start the twins hunting," Declan told her. "And they're wondering if we would mind being extra hands and pairs of eyes."

"Oh, of course!" Regina nodded. "That's so exciting!"

"You don't think we're doing it too early?" Victoria asked. "I mean, I told Kai you two started hunting with me when I was about the twins' age, but I don't know."

"Just do it," Declan urged. "Don't start thinking about it too much and making yourself nervous. You're not doing anything wrong. Just letting Finn and Molly become the people they're supposed to be."

Victoria nodded and then turned to her mother. "All right, Dad's given his opinion. What do _you_ think?"

Regina smiled, her blue eyes bright. "I think that with careful supervision, there's no need to worry," she said, ignoring Declan rolling his eyes cause he thought she was being overly cautious. "Just tell us when you want to take them and we'll be there."

"All right," Victoria nodded and hugged her parents. "Thank you for being such a big help. We appreciate it."

"No problem," Declan told her. "We really enjoy it, honestly."

* * *

A few days later, Kai, Victoria, the twins, Declan, Regina, Adrian, and Jennifer all stood in the backyard, preparing for the twins' first small animal hunt.

"This is so exciting!" Jennifer said with a smile as she clutched at Adrian's arm. "I'm so happy you decided to bring me."

The twins were put in place and then Victoria shouted "Go!" and she, Kai, her parents, and Finn all ran into the yard and after the horde of wildly hopping bunny rabbits. Meanwhile, Molly had stayed where she was, staring at Jennifer.

"Didn't you hear your mother say 'Go'?" Adrian asked her, picking her up and looking into her eyes. "That means you're supposed to go catch bunnies with your brother."

"Okay!" Molly said and Adrian looked on in shock as she pointed and turned Jennifer into a bunny, running after her as the poor rabbit tried desperately to hop away.

"No!" Adrian cried. "Don't turn _Jennifer_ into a bunny! Go after one of the ones that are already there!" He tried not to feel overwhelmed by what Molly was doing or relapse into the sort of behavior that happened when he was confronted with witches who did crazy, unpredictable things with magic, but it was taking all he had in him.

When he'd finally caught Molly and taken the bunny away from her, she began to cry and scream.

"What's going on?" Victoria asked, coming over to them.

"Molly's turned Jennifer into a bunny and was trying to catch her," Adrian explained. "Could you change her back, please?"

"Of course," Victoria sighed. "This is _exactly_ why I questioned having them hunt now. I wondered if they just weren't old enough yet." She turned Jennifer back into a person and apologized, taking Molly away from Adrian. "I hope you're all right," she said. "I had no idea that was going to happen."

"It's…it's fine, I guess," Jennifer told her. "It's not like she caught me."

"You wanna go home?" Adrian asked. "Because we can."

"Oh, no," Jennifer shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm not gonna let myself be scared of a child."

"All right," Adrian replied. "Suit yourself."

* * *

Despite what Molly had done, Finn had been successful and caught a couple of rabbits. They brought him inside and his sister was forced to watch everyone fawn over him while no one paid attention to her, other than to make sure she didn't hurt Jennifer anymore.

"Okay," she said at last, trying to push Finn off of Declan's lap. "My turn."

"Your turn for what?" Declan asked. "Attention?"

"Yes," Molly nodded. "My turn!"

"Hey, Victoria?" Declan said to his daughter. "Molly wants attention."

"All right," Victoria nodded. "I'll give it to her."

"Or I could do it," Kai offered.

"No," Victoria said. "I think I need to handle this." She brought Molly to her room and shut the door, sitting her down in her time out corner and saying, "Do you know why you have to sit in your time out corner?"

"No," Molly shook her head.

"Because turning Jennifer into a bunny and trying to kill her is very wrong," Victoria said. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Finny did it," Molly said.

"No, Finny killed bunnies who were just bunnies and making a mess of our yard," Victoria replied. "That's why everyone is praising him and you're getting yelled at. Why are you so mean to Jennifer?"

"Aden mine!" Molly proclaimed firmly. That was what she'd taken to calling Adrian since his name had too many syllables for her to say properly.

"I know you love Uncle Adrian but you have to share him," Victoria told her firmly. "I mean, do you want to turn your daddy into a bunny and kill him every time you and he and Uncle Adrian hang out together?"

"Daddy nice," Molly replied.

Victoria sighed. "I suppose you'd never hurt your daddy, at least not in the same way you want to hurt Jennifer," she said. "But the lesson is that you can't do that. It's not nice. Okay? Now stay in the corner until the timer beeps."

Molly narrowed her eyes and crossed her little arms, but due to a spell that Victoria had put in that corner of the room, she couldn't actually leave it.

Victoria then left the room and joined the others.

"How mad is Molly right now?" Kai asked.

"No more than usual," Victoria replied. "She'll get over it just like she always does."

Kai looked at Jennifer and chuckled. "Poor woman. Has no idea what she's up against, does she? Though you have to admire her being brave enough to stick it out after this."

"Yeah," Victoria nodded as she watched her mother take Finn in her lap. "You really do."

* * *

"Well, this is a surprise," Helene said as she opened the door and saw Liam on the other side with Mary and Junior."

"So are you," Liam told her, trying not to stare too much. "I had no idea you were so…" He fiddled with his hand and blushed a little.

"So…pregnant?" Helene supplied. "I know it's a bit surprising. But I hope you'll stay anyway. I'm so glad to see you all."

"We'd be more than happy to stay as long as you want us to," Mary said and then nudged her husband gently. "Right, Liam?"

"Of course," Liam said. "Definitely."

They sat down and Liam asked Helene, "So…do either Lenora or Felicity know we have a half-sibling coming?"

"I should probably tell them," Helene said. "I mean, Lenora might know without my knowing that she knows. Felicity too cause she's living with your dad now and your dad and I have talked since this happened. But I'll tell them for certain pretty soon."

They sat in awkward silence that was interrupted by Junior wanting to show Helene his new toy truck.

"Yes, let's look at that," she said with a smile. "It's a very nice truck. Red is my favorite color."

"Me too," Junior smiled.

Helene watched him drive the truck over the carpet and then told Liam and Mary, "We're gonna have a little boy too."

"How nice!" Mary smiled.

"Yeah," Helene nodded. "But something has me worried. The baby is full of really powerful magic, which means that all through my pregnancy, I've-" she got cut off as she disappeared and then reappeared again. And again, and again. Then she began to grow in size, getting bigger and bigger until she filled up a whole side of the living room before shrinking back down to normal size. "I've been having stuff like that happen," she finished. "They gave me a potion to help minimize the effects, and the doctor told me it's perfectly safe, but I don't know. You always worry about what the side effects might do to the kid."

"Well the question is, do you want to keep having all this stuff happen to you?" Liam asked. "Or do you not want it to happen to you?"

"Of course I don't like it, but I think the welfare of my child is more important," Helene said.

"Well, there you go," Liam told her.

* * *

But later, when she was getting ready for bed and she suddenly went blind, as he helped her back to bed, Malachai made a request. "Please take the medicine the doctor gave you," he begged desperately, giving her a kiss. "I know you don't want to hurt the child, but it won't do any good to have a healthy child if something happens to you in the process. Please, think of yourself!"

"All right," Helene replied, reaching for him again and knocking over a lamp in the process. "I'll take some of the medicine, but you're going to have to help me."

"Of course," Malachai replied. "And don't worry about the side effects. If the doctor told you that it was worth taking this stuff in spite of them, it should be fine."

"Oh, I hope so," Helene replied when he helped her tip the medicine up to her lips. She shuddered as it slid down her throat and then, just as Malachai tucked her into bed, her vision came back and she saw him smiling down at her.

"That's better," she smiled. "Have I told you lately how handsome I think you are?"

"I don't mind hearing it no matter how many times you tell me," he said. He then gave her another kiss, crawled into bed beside her, and turned off the light over their bed, and took her in his arms until she fell asleep.


	44. A Boy Of His Own

"No sign of your parents yet?" Malachai asked Helene.

"No," Helene sighed. "I wish they would hurry up. I just know that the baby is gonna come any day now."

"Yeah, I know," Malachai nodded. "When you disappeared last night and didn't reappear right away like usual in spite of the medicine, I wondered if you were ever going to come back. I was _so_ relieved to see you beside me this morning."

"Oh, I felt the same way," Helene told him. "Believe me."

"Not that I didn't come up with other plans to retrieve you if you didn't return on your own," Malachai added, just as there was a knock on the door.

"I think I found something in one of the spellbooks!" Percy called. "We should have her back in a couple of minutes if we use it."

Malachai let him in then and Percy let out a relieved breath when he saw Helene. "You're back," he smiled. "Good."

Helene nodded. "But it was very sweet of you to look up things to retrieve me."

"No problem," Percy smiled and pushed back some of his dark hair. "If you don't need me for anything else, I think I'll go get breakfast."

He left and then Malachai went to hold Helene the best he could. "You know," he said, "I think with our little one coming, I've come to a decision. But I need you to tell me if you think it's smart."

"Okay," Helene nodded. "What is it?"

"I think…I think I should tell the kids…the ones that are here anyway, that I'm their father," Malachai replied. "With this one coming, I just don't see the point of delaying it any longer."

"I agree," Helene nodded. "That's a good idea. The sooner you tell them, the sooner we can begin to prepare the older ones to fight your mother. And since Percy already knows, make sure you have him around when you do it also. He can be a big help."

"Of course," Malachai nodded. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He sighed. "I'll make the phone calls inviting everyone over later in the day."

"Sounds like a plan," Helene nodded with approval. "If I can do anything to help, just let me know."

"I don't want to trouble you with any of this," Malachai told Helene as he rubbed her belly. "You've got enough to deal with already. However-" he quickly changed his tone at Helene's look of outrage, presumably because she was being left out of the action. "If I think of something you can do to help, I'll let you know."

"Thank you," Helene smiled. "That's all I ask. Good luck."

"Thanks," Malachai replied and pushed his hair back. "I'll need it."

* * *

"Well, look who's here, Finny!" Victoria said to her son as she opened the door with her free hand to allow Christine and Sarah inside the house. "Sarah's come to visit you!"

"Sawa! Sawa!" Finn cried and clapped his hands.

Christine and Victoria put the babies on the floor with some toys and let them play.

As she watched her daughter, Christine asked Victoria, "So where's Molly? Did you send her away once it was time for us to come?"

"Kai took her over to Adrian's," Victoria nodded. "A very handy diversion, if you ask me."

"Yeah," Christine nodded. "It's so lucky that she likes Adrian. So lucky."

"And what's going on at your house?" Victoria asked. "Matthew reveling in some quiet by himself? Taking the dogs out for a hunting trip?"

"No, he told me he was heading over to Selina's again to see Drew and Stephanie," Christine said. "We decided that next time he goes after this, he's gonna take Sarah with him so that she can meet them. Meet her new…oh, what the hell, it's too complicated to figure out. Well, niece and nephew from Matthew at least. I don't know what they would be to her on my side. Sarah's aunt and uncle, since they're my half-siblings? Yeah, let's go with that. Thinking about it any harder makes my head hurt." She paused. "On an entirely different subject, I got a phone call from Malachai today. It was very cryptic, saying he wanted me to bring Sarah to his house for some reason. Do you know anything about that? Has he mentioned anything to you or Kai? I wouldn't be confused except it's not his week with her."

"No," Victoria shook her head. "Not a thing. Sorry to disappoint you." She paused. "Wait a minute. Malachai said that he wants to tell Ian, Davina, and Samantha something and that he's gonna come to house later today to do it. Perhaps Sarah's part of that too. But I don't think it's anything you need to worry about. And tell Matthew the same if he's stirred up too."

"All right," Christine nodded. "I will." And even though she still felt a little apprehensive thinking about what it was that Malachai had to tell them, she turned her attention to Finn and Sarah and tried to let their happy playing cheer her up and put her mind on something else instead.

* * *

"Okay," Adrian told Molly firmly. "Jennifer is off visiting her sister so you have me all to yourself. Am I gonna have any trouble today?"

"No," Molly shook her head and buried her face in his red shirt.

"Well, I think that's a relief for both of us," Kai told him.

"Yeah," Adrian nodded and took her to sit down in front of the TV.

She sat quietly for a little bit and then began squirming.

"All right," Adrian said and stood up. "I think someone needs to run around a little, don't they? I think I'll just go ask Felicity if she wants to come with us. She's been talking to herself a lot lately and I think the fresh air might do her some good."

"Well, if it isn't the little bundle of darkness!" Felicity smiled when Adrian knocked on her door and told her that he was going out. "Sure, I'll come with you. Where would we be going?"

"I don't know," Adrian shrugged. "To the park so she can run around a little maybe?"

"All right," Felicity nodded and spoke dryly. "I'm in. It'll be good not to have to worry about my friend popping up in the mirror unannounced for an hour or so."

"You see?" Adrian whispered to Kai while Felicity was occupied with Molly in the car. "Her friend in the mirror. Is that normal talk, even for magical people?"

"Oh, I'm sure there's some sort of explanation," Kai told him. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. Or at all."

"All right," Adrian nodded. "I'll try not to."

And that was easy to do once he and Kai began playing with Molly and Felicity in the park, especially when Molly decided to cheat in the middle of playing soccer and use her powers to make the ball fly out of Kai and Adrian's reach in order to score a goal.

"Did you tell her to do that?" Adrian asked Felicity as he and Kai both got up from the grass where they'd fallen in a heap after failing to catch the flying ball.

"Yeah," Felicity chuckled. "I did. It's so great to know how quickly she catches onto things."

"Or makes it hard for _us_ to catch things," Adrian added.

"Yeah," Felicity agreed. "That too."

* * *

When Kai and Molly returned home, they found Malachai there, fixing up the couch cushions and doing some dusting.

"What are you doing?" Kai asked his uncle. "Is today the day that you tell all the kids that you're their father and that's why you rescued them from the asylum?"

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "Exactly. Time to get that out of the way. You came just in time to witness it."

"I think I'd rather avoid that mess, thank you," Kai told him and slipped away just as his and Victoria's charges trooped into the living room and sat down.

"What is it you want to tell us?" Samantha asked and blew a gum bubble. "Will this take a long time? I have something else I need to do."

"Oh whatever," Davina told her. "You can terrorize that guy some other time. This is probably important."

"Yes," Malachai nodded and cleared his throat. "It…it is. But before I tell you what I have to say, a couple more people have to show up."

Luckily, Percy and Sarah showed up in the next ten minutes and then Malachai was able to begin, locking eyes with the three on the sofa. "I bet you're wondering why I rescued you all from the asylum out of all the people there."

"You said it's because you wanted to help us with our powers," Davina said. "Was that a lie?"

"No, that's not a lie," Malachai replied. "I _do_ want to help you. It's just that there's more than that."

"Well, what is it?" Ian cried. "Spit it out."

"I'm your father!" Malachai yelled. "You all were born because your mothers went and used a sperm donor, right?"

"And that's you?" Samantha scoffed. "Well, thanks a lot for letting us be born with powers to people who had no idea how the hell to deal with them so they had us locked up. I really appreciate that."

"And Percy and Sarah here are your brother and sister," Malachai said, Samantha's comment making him lose confidence. "Isn't it nice to know that you have more family now after all that time alone?"

"Ian and Davina are the only family I need," Samantha told him firmly before casting a gaze on Percy and Sarah, who was just looking happy in her mother's arms as they sat in a blue easy chair. "I don't need anyone else and I certainly don't need a man who would just throw me and others to the wolves like you did."

"You going back to our room?" Ian asked her as she began to walk away.

"Yeah," Samantha told him. "I don't see any other reason to stay." That left Davina. She had tears in her eyes, but didn't run away immediately like Ian and Samantha had. Instead, she let Percy sit down next to her and take her hand.

"I know this is hard to believe," he said. "I felt the same way when I found out."

"Look, you're really nice and all," Davina sniffled as she looked at him. "But I think…I think now I just need to be alone." _That_ was when she got up, went to her room, and slammed the door behind her.

"That didn't go well at all," Malachai said, sitting down wearily next to Percy. "I'm glad that's all I decided to tell them."

"Give them time," Percy told him and put a hand on his arm. "Can you blame them for being shocked and angry, based on the way they were brought up?"

"I know," Malachai sighed. "I get it. Don't get me wrong. I wish I could have taken home and raised every one of you, but I just…I couldn't. This was the only way. I can't do everything by myself. I've tried, but I can't. And now they hate me."

"Ah, they'll get over it," Percy said. "Don't think about them. Think about the kid you and Helene are gonna have soon. He'll like you."

"Oh, god, I hope you're right, Percy," Malachai said. He then smiled as Christine brought Sarah to sit on his other side so he could hug both her and Percy at once. Then he looked at Christine. "I know it's not my week, but would you mind if I kept Sarah for an hour or two? Would that be a terrible imposition?"

"No, it wouldn't," Christine shook her head. "I'll go check on Helene and see if she's doing all right."

"Would you?" Malachai asked. "Thanks. She was sleeping when I left, but who knows what she could be up to now?"

* * *

So Christine left and headed for Malachai and Helene's, where, to her relief, she found Helene eating in the kitchen and there was nothing going on with her that Christine wouldn't have been able to deal with, being a non-magical person and all.

"Hey," Helene smiled when she saw her. "Malachai send you over here to check up on me?"

"He didn't send me," Christine replied. "I offered to come while he spent some time with Sarah. His big reveal didn't go as well as he hoped and it seemed like he needed the morale boost."

Helene shook her head. "Poor Malachai. I knew they would turn against him when they found out that he fathered them just so they would help him fight off Edele."

"They don't actually know that," Christine said. "They didn't let him get that far before they all stormed off." She then ran over to Helene's side as her friend made a face and put a hand on her stomach.

"What's the matter?" She asked. "Does something hurt? Do we need to take you to the hospital?"

"Yeah," Helene nodded, starting to tear up from the pain and doubling over. "Hospital. Please."

So Christine drove her and got her set up in a hospital room after filling out the paperwork.

"It's gonna be okay," She encouraged as she held Helene's hand. "Just keep breathing."

"Call Malachai!" Helene cried. "And hurry!"

So Christine did that and soon, a flustered Malachai zapped himself into the room, holding onto Sarah, who looked remarkably unperturbed by that mode of travel.

"Thank you for calling me," Malachai said graciously before plunking Sarah down in her mother's lap. "I can take things from here." He looked at Helene. "Unless you want her to stay and she's able to."

"Could you?" Helene asked Christine before letting out a shriek.

"Yes," Christine nodded. "I would love to. " They used Sarah as a way to distract Helene from her pain though it took several hours and a couple of nap breaks for Sarah, Helene and Malachai's son, whom they named William, was born around two in the morning.

"You did it!" Malachai whispered to Helene and kissed her forehead. "Good job."

"Thank you," Helene panted. "I thought I was going to die for a while there." She then sat up as William was placed in her arms. She looked down at him and for some reason she didn't feel the same immediate stirrings of maternal adoration that she had with her other children. Maybe it was all she'd gone through while pregnant, but she found that this boy made her…nervous? She shook her head and smiled at Malachai. "He's beautiful," she said, holding the baby out to his father. "Would you like to hold him?"

"Yes," Malachai replied as he took the first child of his whose birth he'd ever witnessed. "I would love to."


	45. Worth A Thousand Words

"Is it my turn to go?" Malachai asked as he and Helene were awakened by the sound of William's crying. "Or is it yours?"

"It's mine," Helene said and got out of bed, grabbing the fire extinguisher by her feet. "I can handle it."

"Are you sure?" Malachai asked her. "Cause I wouldn't mind."

"That's very sweet," Helene smiled. "But I…I need to show William that he's loved, and I can't do that if I keep getting scared and running away every time I go into his room and it's full of fire cause that's what comes out of him every time he's distraught."

"All right," Malachai nodded. "You go. And be careful not to burn yourself."

Helene took a deep breath and made her way to her infant son's room, gasping when, as she suspected, it was full of fire and smoke. Coughing, she got down on the ground and crawled toward his crib, then swore when she realized she'd left the fire extinguisher all the way back by the door.

"I'll do it the quicker way," she whispered to herself, then muttered a spell that cleared away all the smoke and fire before she picked up her son and held him close.

"It'll be all right," she whispered and cuddled him. "I'm here." She then began to hum a lullaby as she sat down with him in the rocking chair by his changing table and fed him.

"I don't know why you're so powerful so soon," she said. "But that's not a bad thing. We'll learn how to get your powers under control and you'll be able to go through life without having to worry if you're going to hurt someone. That'll be good, won't it?"

When he'd been fed and changed, she kissed his head and set him back down, promising she'd be back in a few hours.

"It looks like you made it back in one piece," Malachai whispered when she returned. "That's good. Were you terrified?"

"No, not really," Helene shrugged. "I'm used to it now, even though it's a little odd still."

"So you mean it's not normal for babies to have bursts of magic like that?" Malachai asked. "Not that I know much about children, but I thought it was."

"Oh, it is," Helene nodded. "But it usually doesn't happen until they're around six months old. Having it happen so soon after birth is highly unusual. Maybe he's the first child this has happened to."

"Well, isn't that good?" Malachai sighed. "We can handle this. Don't worry."

"Exactly," Helene agreed. "We're capable people who have magic that can fix anything. And when my parents get back, they'll be able to help us out too."

"You think they'll be willing?" Malachai asked skeptically.

"Of course," Helene nodded. "They wouldn't punish a baby just because they're on the fence about you. That's not the sort of people they are."

"Well," Malachai yawned. "I should probably get what sleep I can before I go and face the fire in a couple of hours."

"Yeah," Helene nodded as she pulled the comforter over both of them. "And forget about the fire extinguisher. It's just easier to use your magic to put the fire out."

"I thought so," Malachai nodded. "That was my plan exactly."

* * *

Baby William and his out of control powers did a lot to keep Malachai's mind off the trouble of all his other children who hated his guts, but it didn't vanquish thoughts of them entirely.

"I know I've asked this many times," he said to Percy, "But since you're one of the few children I have who doesn't hate me at the moment, what do you think I could do to make the others like me?"

"Well, since I assume 'nothing' and 'you have to let them do it in their own time' are answers you don't want to hear, I suppose if you keep trying to show them that they have value to you and you want us to all be a family, that might make them feel a little better toward you," Percy suggested.

"Like, what if we did a family portrait?" Malachai asked. "Do you think that would be a good idea?"

"Just one quick portrait with a camera?" Percy asked. "That could be a start, but it doesn't leave a lot of room for bonding, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Malachai shook his head. "It's a shame no one paints anymore. You know, like paint a portrait that would take more than one sitting?"

"There could be someone," Percy replied. "Ask Helene. Maybe she knows."

"Maybe I know what?" Helene asked as she came into the kitchen with William in her arms. He looked very content, which was something everyone around him was grateful for.

"This is going to sound like a very odd question, but…do you know anyone who would be willing to paint a family portrait?" Malachai asked. "I thought it would be a good bonding activity for me and all my children."

Helene smiled. "I'm very proud of you for keeping trying with them after what happened the first time," she praised. "Just keep showing them that you care, even if they don't respond well to your overtures, and in time, I'm sure you'll win them over."

"Yeah," Percy nodded. "I think you will."

"As for someone who paints, Adrian's sister Lucy is really good. I'll ask her if she'd be willing to take the job on," Helene assured him.

"Do you think she's the type of person who won't be scared off by the weird circumstances surrounding the job?" Malachai asked. "Cause that's the sort of person we need."

"Oh, she's Klaus' daughter," Helene replied. "She can handle anything."

"Well, if you put it that way, go ahead and ask her," Malachai smiled. "I can't wait to see what she says."

* * *

"I have to thank you for getting me this job," Lucy told Helene as Helene drove her to her and Malachai's house. "It's just the thing I need right now."

"Why?" Helene asked. "Are you trying to take your mind off something else?"

"Yes," Lucy nodded and pushed her blonde hair out of her eyes. "I'm trying to decide what to do about Damon. Because I'm beginning to realize that maybe I'm not as in love with him as I used to be. Or maybe I've entirely outgrown him."

"You think so?" Helene asked. "Your father and your uncle will be happy to hear that."

"Oh, I know they will," Lucy nodded. "But if I break things off with him, then what do I do? I've been with Damon so long that I just...if he goes, there'll kind of be a hole in my life."

"Well, finding a way to fill it will be the fun part!" Helene encouraged. "You can do whatever you want! You can meet a new guy, you can travel the world, you can get a new doctorate...the world is your oyster!"

"Yes," Lucy nodded. "It would be nice to have a challenge in life. I think that's the reason why I'm pulling away from Damon at all. Cause I mean, I'm running his life now. I don't feel like I'm in a relationship with a partner, or someone who makes me look at things differently. And that's what I need. Otherwise, I'll be stuck in my own ways forever."

"Well, if you want someone that different from yourself, maybe Roxie could find them for you," Helene suggested.

"Oh, no," Lucy shook her head. "I love my sister, but I really don't think she knows what I want in a man. She tends to take what _she_ wants in a man and give that to everyone else when she does fix-ups."

"All I'm saying is depending on how desperate you are for that life change, your sister would be a good place to start," Helene told her.

Lucy chuckled. "You know, it's funny to think that she used to annoy you so much that you turned her into a goat and now you view her as a useful source for life advice."

"Yeah," Helene nodded. "Life's funny that way." They reached the house and Helene brought Lucy inside as Malachai met them at the door.

"Hello," he said, smiling as he took Lucy's hand. "I'm Malachai. Are you Lucy?"

"I am," Lucy nodded. "Helene told me about the painting that you want me to do. It sounds exciting."

"I hope you're a patient person," Malachai told her. "You're gonna need patience if you take this job, because you'll be painting a lot of people who don't like each other."

"Sounds like what I have at home every Christmas," Lucy smiled. "That's probably why the whole of my dad's family never gets together at once."

"Okay, she's hired," Malachai said. "Good job, Helene."

"No problem," Helene told him with a smile. She then took Lucy's hand and led her to William's room where he was resting.

"Who's this little guy?" Lucy asked as she looked down into his crib. "He's adorable!" She paused. "It _is_ a boy, right?"

"Oh, yes," Helene nodded. "Definitely."

"Can I hold him?" Lucy asked. "Or does he not like strangers?"

"I honestly don't know," Helene shrugged. "We haven't had a lot of chances to introduce him to people besides us. You'll probably be the first person from outside this house he's ever been near. Just to warn you, if he gets unhappy, he tends to set things on fire."

"Already?" Lucy asked, her eyes widening. "Luckily for me, it takes more than fire to do me in." Focusing on keeping calm, she watched Helene pick William up, and then set him down in her arms, where, to both the women's surprise, he looked at Lucy for a few moments, and then fell right asleep.

"Wow," Helene said as Lucy set him back down in his crib. "That was unexpected. You wouldn't mind being his babysitter sometime, would you?"

"Sure," Lucy nodded. "If you need someone, I'll give it a shot."

They then went to see Malachai and Lucy asked, "So, what's gonna happen with this painting?"

"Well," Malachai replied, trusting what Helene had told him about Lucy being able to handle weird things. "See, my sister is evil. And dead. And to keep her in hell where she belongs, I decided that I would need to father thirteen children that together would have enough magic to overpower her. The only problem is, I decided that they should have human mothers and donated sperm so I could have lots of children in a small amount of time. The downside of that was that my magical children (in most cases) ended up with human parents who couldn't deal with their powers and would often subject them to horrible lives in an effort to control the magic. I'm gathering up as many of the kids as I can, but when I told them who I was the other day, they took it badly, which I have to admit I don't blame them for."

"And you think that the family painting will be a bonding activity?" Lucy asked.

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "I figure that being together through multiple sittings might bring us closer." He paused. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

"I couldn't say," Lucy shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

* * *

Malachai was still feeling a little doubt, so he went to ask Kai and Victoria too and Lucy tagged along once she found out she'd meet more people she'd be painting.

"It's crazy, isn't it?" He asked after explaining but before he gave either of them time to respond. "Why do I even bother? They'll probably hate me no matter what I do."

"Don't give up on this!" Victoria told him as Lucy put a hand on Malachai's. "I know it's frustrating now, but if you just give up, it will confirm what they already think: that you don't care. Just keep trying and if what you do doesn't get the pleased response you're hoping for right away, they'll probably still be pleased you're making an effort, even if they don't show it. I mean, look at me and Miss Molly if you want proof that that works."

"Yeah," Malachai smiled. "You make a very good point. Would the two of you be willing to be in the portrait also? I mean, you know Davina, Ian, and Samantha better than I do."

"Not really," Kai shook his head. "I mean, they may have been brought here, but we hardly ever see them. They probably have all sorts of their own shenanigans to get into without telling us."

"And it wouldn't be a bother to paint more people," Lucy added. "If it'll help things go smoother."

"I think the three of them are here right now if you want to tell them the portrait idea," Victoria added. "You want to?"

"Yeah, how else will they know?" Malachai replied. "Or maybe I shouldn't, cause they'll think it's stupid."

"Just try," Victoria encouraged. "I think, in the long run, you'll be glad you did."

So Malachai, Kai, Lucy, and Victoria went to see Ian and Samantha first because they would be the tougher ones to win over and Victoria knocked on the door. "Can I talk to you two for a minute?" She asked.

Ian opened the door a few seconds later. "What is it that you want?" He asked, his dark eyes narrowed.

"We just wanted to talk," Victoria replied. "Where's your sister?"

"Hell if I know," Ian shrugged. "She left with some guy and wouldn't give me more details than that. And Davina's gone too."

"Ah," Victoria nodded. "Okay. Well, Malachai wants to do a portrait with you three, Percy, and Sarah as a way to bond. We'll do it some time after the girls get back."

"All right," Ian sighed. "If it's necessary, I suppose we will."

* * *

A few days later, when everyone was home, Victoria called Lucy again to come and visit with the whole crowd. She was a bit concerned with Samantha and Ian who, as was their custom, kept to themselves, but she found Davina, Sarah, and Percy to be much more enthusiastic about being painted.

"Paint!" Sarah cried enthusiastically. "Paint, paint, paint!"

"Sometimes she likes to finger paint," Christine explained to Lucy. "Unfortunately, it's usually with ketchup and chocolate syrup all over the kitchen walls and the refrigerator."

"Well, you have to start somewhere," Lucy chuckled.

"Should we dress up real nice for the portrait?" Percy asked her. "I want it to look good."

"You can wear whatever you want," Lucy assured him. "There's no dress code."

"Ah," Percy nodded. "All right." He then zapped himself back to Malachai and Helene's to look through his closet.

"And what about you?" She asked Davina. "Any questions? I'll try and make it as quick a process as I can, but it still will take time." She said this because Davina looked very tired and was yawning constantly.

"No, I'm excited," Davina assured her. "I've just…I've been up a lot lately looking after this guy that I know. Someone he loved just died and it's making him kind of crazy."

"Oh, I hear you," Lucy nodded. "My boyfriend's mother passed too, and he's not taking it well. Lots and lots of alcohol is his thing."

"Thomas' too!" Davina replied. "You wouldn't think it would be if you knew him, but…"

"Is Thomas having trouble?" Lucy asked. "I'm sorry to hear that. Damon's the same way. If there's anything I can do, let me know."

"Thanks," Davina nodded. "I'd be happy to help you too, although not knowing Charlotte or her son, I don't think I'd be able to do much."

"I could introduce you," Lucy offered. "Charlotte wanted her boys to work with Thomas on the funeral stuff and I think that if that wish is to be honored, I'm gonna need all the help I can get."

"All right," Davina smiled. "Just tell me when you need me and where I have to go and I'll be there."

"Thanks," Lucy smiled. "It's really good to know I have back up, you have no idea." She paused and took Davina's hand. "Or maybe you do."

"I do," Davina said, the first night of Thomas drinking still fresh in her mind. "Believe me, I do."


	46. The Four Musketeers

"It's very kind of you to watch William for us," Helene told Lucy as she headed to the coat closet to grab her jacket. "We could really use a chance to go out. Thanks for making that possible."

"No problem," Lucy told her with a smile. "It's my pleasure. I'll watch your son and I swear the house will be in one piece when you return."

"Don't make any promises you can't keep," Helene told her. "It'll be okay if something happens. Malachai and I have a fire extinguisher by our bed and we can fix any damage with our magic when we return. But when you consider how much William likes you, I don't think that'll be something we need to worry about."

"I'm not worried," Lucy assured her quickly. "Whatever he throws at me, I can handle, I promise."

"All right," Helene sighed, suddenly a little doubtful about leaving Lucy, who had no magic, home alone with her magical son. But she quickly shook it off. "If you're sure." As she opened the door to let herself and Malachai out, a thunderclap sounded as the skies darkened, and Helene shook her head and sighed. "I hope it doesn't rain. I'm wearing my nice shoes."

Lucy watched them go and when she shut the front door, she smelled smoke. "Oh, damn," she said and followed smell. She opened a bathroom door with smoke creeping out from underneath it, and when it cleared, she gasped. A dark haired, dark eyed young man was sitting next to the toilet, naked and sobbing his eyes out.

"Hi," Lucy said, after getting his attention. "Can I help you? What's your name?"

"William," he said, wiping his eyes. "Something happened to me, and I don't know what! I'm not supposed to be like this!"

"That's probably what your mother wanted to tell me about before she left, isn't it?" Lucy sighed. "Well, why don't you stand up and we'll get you some clothes. From your parents' closet since you obviously can't wear your baby clothes." She sighed. "I hope you and your dad are the same size. Ready to go?"

"Yeah," he said and sniffled.

"Good," Lucy nodded. "Let's stop crying cause that doesn't help anything and we'll go find you something to wear."

"All right," William smiled and got to his feet while Lucy resolutely kept her eyes on his face. "You know what? I like you." He then went over to hug her and Lucy hugged him back after a slight pause.

"I like you too," she told him. "And what happened to you is some sort of magic probably made you big. The same thing happened to me when I was younger."

"Oh," William nodded. "Okay. And I'm sorry about the fire. It always happens when I get upset, even when I don't want it to."

"It's not a problem," Lucy assured him as they headed to Malachai and Helene's room to raid Malachai's side of the closet. "Just try and stay calm until your parents get back, all right? Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes," William replied and took Lucy's hand with a smile. "I think I can."

Then, to her surprise, he cupped her face with both of his hands and kissed her deeply. When he pulled away, she looked at him in surprise.

"That…that was nice," she got out.

"I thought you'd like it," William told her, smiling again.

Lucy smiled back and when they reached the closet, she got him into jeans and a dark red button down shirt along with some loafers. "That's much better, isn't it?" She asked with satisfaction as they both gazed at his reflection in the long, tall closet mirror. "And you look wonderful."

"I do," William nodded. "I _feel_ wonderful too."

"Now that you're dressed, what should we do?" Lucy asked him.

"Let's eat!" William suggested, his dark eyes bright. "I'm very hungry."

"You know what?" Lucy told him and took his arm as they walked to the kitchen. "That's a very good idea. I am too."

* * *

Meanwhile, her older brother had a much different reaction as he babysat Molly the next day and the same thing happened to her. He'd fallen asleep on the floor with a toddler on his stomach, and when he'd opened his eyes again a naked young woman with green eyes and dark hair was kneeling next to him and staring down into his eyes.

"Oh, fuck!" He cried and sat up. "Who are you? Take whatever money you want, get a towel from the bathroom, and go away!"

"No, Adrian, it's okay!" She said, trying to calm him. "It's me, Molly!"

If she thought that would make him feel better, she was _sorely_ mistaken. "Damn it!" He cried. "Why are you so pretty? I'm having some kind of horribly perverted dream, aren't I?" He tried to avert his eyes from her ample chest.

With a sigh, she zapped up a large white t-shirt and put it over herself. "There," she said. "Is that better? I don't know why I'm like this. It just happened. You have to help me figure out why." She leaned close. "Please?" She paused. "Of course, on my end, there's really no rush, but since you're in extreme distress, we can go get help whenever you want."

"We'll have to go see your parents," he told her while she zapped herself into jeans, a purple shirt, and a black leather jacket. "I don't know anything about this magic business on my own." He sighed. "Just when I've gotten used to it, some crazy spell comes along that really makes me hate magic again! Isn't that always the way?"

"Oh, come on, sour puss!" Molly said and then leaned in to give him a peck on the lips that shocked him. "It's not so bad! Now we have each other!"

"Yeah," Adrian scoffed because he knew she was only saying this to get a rise out of him. "But it's still weird because you've probably been aged for less than an hour. How long were you watching me sleep?"

"Not long," Molly replied. "I promise."

Adrian sighed. "Let's see what your parents have to say about this and pray that one of them can fix it."

"All right," Molly nodded as she followed him out to the car. "But if they can't right away, it's no big tragedy, is it?"

"No," Adrian sighed. "If it can't be fixed right away, I guess it will just be something I'll have to get used to." He got in the car and slammed the door shut behind him, but not before ordering Molly to sit in the back.

"Fine," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Whatever. But you're really overthinking this, you know?"

* * *

When they reached Kai and Victoria's house, they found Kai and Victoria there, along with the mothers from play group and kids Adrian had never seen before.

"Let me guess," he said as he looked them over. "Junior, Finn, and Sarah?" He gestured at Molly. "Kai, Victoria, this is your daughter. As you can see, it's happened to her too."

"Yes," Christine nodded in response to Adrian's question about the other children as Kai and Victoria's jaws dropped like they had when they'd found Finn all grown up. "I wonder if it happened to Selina and Elijah's twins also? Probably not, or at least not yet. I think Matthew and I would have heard something from them if it did."

"Why do you think it happened?" Mary asked. "And how can we fix it?"

"I don't know," Victoria shrugged. "How do we even begin to find out what happened?"

"Well, I might have a pretty good idea of who brought this about, but first I have to ask her," Kai said, his voice cold and steely. "I don't like to talk to her if I can help it, but this is really important."

"You don't think your mother had something to do with this, do you?" Victoria asked. "She's a ghost. Would she really have that much power?"

"Even if she didn't on her own, she's unscrupulous enough to do whatever she can to get it," Kai told her. "Especially if the end result of whatever spell she does inconveniences me or otherwise pisses me off."

"Well, when you see her, be civil," Victoria said as they left the room, leaving the others to sit in awkward silence. Then Molly sat next to Junior and took his hand as she looked him over. The chubby little blond haired, blue-eyed boy who'd previously lived in overalls now wore leather and denim and black high top sneakers.

"You turned out handsome," she commented.

"Thank you," He told her, looking at her for just a moment before turning his attention back to Finn and Sarah who didn't seem fazed at all by what had happened. In fact, they were hugging each other and laughing in a way that made Junior very suspicious. "Excuse me."

As Molly pouted and Adrian started to make his way over to comfort her, Junior dropped her hand and scooted over, trying to force Finn and Sarah to separate and make a space for him.

"Hey, back off, would you?" Finn cried, zapping him with such force that he flew off the sofa and into the wall.

"What did you have to do that for?" Victoria asked. "You shouldn't use your magic to hurt people."

"I-I didn't mean to," Finn replied. _He_ even seemed shocked about how powerful his blast of magic had been. He got up to go help Junior, but Molly pushed him back down.

"Why don't you stay where you are?" She suggested coolly, narrowing her eyes at her brother. "I think you've caused enough trouble already." She then went to help Junior up. "Are you okay?" She asked. "Can I get you some ice for your head?"

"I'll help," Sarah added as Molly hissed at her and Adrian couldn't help but chuckle to himself at that.

Sarah ignored that and followed them both into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry about that," Finn apologized to Mary, his dark eyes full of regret. "I promise I'll be more careful with my temper and my powers from now on."

"Oh, he'll heal," Mary told him. "Don't blame yourself for what happened. This is a weird situation for all of us, but we'll get through it."

"Thanks," Finn told her, blushing deeply to the roots of his dark hair. "That's very comforting to know."

* * *

Kai, for once, was very relieved to see his mother show up that night while the family had dinner. It would make it that much easier to get a confession from her about the trouble she'd caused. "Hello," he told her icily. "Notice anything unusual at this table?"

"Yes," Edele got out as she hovered near Finn and Molly. "Who are these older children?"

"They're Finn and Molly," Kai replied. "Did _you_ have anything to do with why they're this way?"

"I can't take credit, unfortunately," Edele shook her head. "I know you enjoy blaming things on me, son, but this time, you can't. And may I say that you've done a very good job caring for your brother and sister all this time?"

"What?" Victoria asked as Kai began to choke and she whacked him on the back. "Did you just call our children Kai's brother and sister?"

"Finn and Molly are Kai's brother and sister," Edele confirmed with a smile and a nod cause she was clearly enjoying the look of horror on Kai's face. "They're _my_ children, fathered with the love of my life, a plan we'd had in place before he was taken away and killed. But as I was a ghost, I couldn't very well carry them to term, could I?" She smiled sweetly at Victoria. "Thank you for doing it for me." She then disappeared, leaving everyone too shocked to eat as they wondered if Edele was telling the truth or not.

"Please tell me that she's lying," Finn begged Victoria as he put his fork down. "I don't want to be her kid!"

"Yeah," Molly nodded. "Me either!"

"Considering how she killed you, I wouldn't think you would," Kai told Molly darkly and then threw his napkin on the floor before telling everyone to duck so he could launch his silverware at the wall where it embedded itself. Then he got up and stomped away.

"You two keep eating if you can," Victoria told Finn and Molly as Molly opened her mouth to ask about Edele murdering her. "If not just stick what you have left in the fridge and we'll deal with it later. I need to go attend to your father before he does something he's going to regret." She then ran to her and Kai's room, where he was throwing stuff in a suitcase. "Where are you going?" She asked. "If you want to talk, I'm more than willing to listen."

"What is there to talk about?" Kai snapped without looking at her. "The only children I'm ever gonna have are ones that weren't even fathered by me! How can I…how can I live that down? My mother has fucked with me a lot in my life, but this is it! She's finally made me reach a point where I just can't be happy anymore. I'm going to leave so that she no longer bothers you or the kids. She's my problem. No one else's."

"I understand you're upset," Victoria said. "I don't blame you. But if you just give up, you're letting your mother win. Do you want her to win? For all we know, she could be lying and said what she said just to shock you and get the exact reaction out of you that she's getting."

"And what if it's the truth?" Kai asked.

"Does that matter?" Victoria wanted to know. "Would you still love them just as much if it turns out that they weren't your biological children after all?"

"Of course," Kai nodded. "That's why I'm leaving. _I'm_ the one that Mother likes to screw with and if I leave, she won't mess with them."

"No offense, but I just don't think that's true!" Victoria cried. "She conceived them to make a family with a lover of hers, which means she wants them in her life and won't just leave them alone. I think (and don't take this the wrong way), that with Finn and Molly old enough to interact intelligently with people, you've become inconsequential in your mother's life plan. Making you miserable has lost its appeal because with kids that she wants fathered by a man that she likes, she no longer feels the need to punish you for what she had to go through with _your_ father. If you go, they'll be completely at her mercy. They don't want that, and neither do I. Do you?"

"No," Kai sighed. "But this is a lot to take in and I…I need time to think. I'm gonna go away for a little bit to get my thoughts in order and please don't try and look for me, no matter how much you might want to. Please?"

"All right," Victoria sighed. Then she watched him pick up his suitcase and disappear before she got up and went to tell Finn and Molly that their father had gone away, but she would defend them against Edele until he got the good sense to come back.

 **The End**

 **Next up: The Last Girl, where Malachai gathers all his children to defeat Edele and her lover who not only want Finn and Molly's loyalty, but also are strong enough to challenge the Original family and end the vampire species as they know it.**


End file.
